One Plus One Equals Five
by ImaTVJunkie
Summary: Picking up from The Not So Jolly Swagman In The Billabong, we find Booth & Brennan approximately five months after they returned home from their Australian holiday. Booth is finding that life with Brennan expecting twins is vastly different to what he remembered her being like while pregnant with Christine. Thanks to those that asked me to write a sequel.
1. Chapter 1

_Brennan stared into the mirror and let go a sigh..._

She pulled a face and poked out her tongue. It was the first time she had stood and really looked at herself in a few weeks. Her pregnancy was progressing well, the babies were growing fast. _ Six and a half months and I look like I should be giving birth any day_! she thought to herself, trying to remember how big she was with Christine at the same point in her pregnancy.

"Do you have any idea what you two are doing to me?" she asked, staring at her naked body in the mirror, her hands pinching at her cheeks, her face full and rounded.

"No. I don't suppose you do. Well, I can tell you, it's not very attractive from where I'm standing right now. Just look at these! They're positively pendulous! And so painful to touch. How on earth I'm going to feed you if they stay this sore I have no idea." she said lifting and dropping her swollen breasts, wincing.

Her hands explored her belly "And look at these stretch marks! Your sister didn't cause any! And I can't even see my feet any more. Which is probably just as well. They're always swollen."

Brennan wrapped her gown across her bare body and shook her head, sitting down on the bed, lifting her feet up where she could see them.

"And I need a manicure!" she said to the babies growing in her belly. She let her feet drop down to the floor and flopped backwards onto the bed.

"This probably was a bad idea" she thought to herself as she pondered how she was going to get back up onto her feet.

"Booth!" she called out.

_No answer._

"BOOTH!"

_Nothing._

Brennan lay staring at the ceiling for a moment then took a deep breath and rolled onto her side, then shuffled herself backwards off the bed, using her hands to push herself up. Sighing loudly, she adjusted her dressing gown, slid her feet into fluffy slippers resembling yellow chickens. Christine had given them to her for Mothers Day last year. She hadn't really liked them at the start, but she knew that her daughter had spent all her pocket money buying them for her, and that made them the most wonderful gift. Right now, they were the most comfortable thing she owned and gladly pushed her feet into them and shuffled out of the bedroom into the kitchen.

* * *

"Didn't you hear me calling?" she asked Booth who was sitting at the breakfast bar poring over his laptop and drinking coffee. No response. She flicked out a foot and sent one fluffy yellow chicken flying across the room, straight at Booth.

"huh?" Booth jumped as it hit him in the thigh. He turned and stared at her blankly.

"I called for you Booth" she said, her bottom lip pushing out. _oh no. don't cry over this Brennan_ she thought to herself as her eyes pricked. Her hormones were a little more than out of control lately.

Booth frowned, then he reached up and pulled a set of earbuds out of his ears "What? I was listening to the news" he said holding up the pink plugs that had been embedded in his ears.

Brennan stared at him, her hands flopping against her thighs. "They're my headphones!" she said, her face screwing up.

"What? Bones, I use them all the time! What's the matter?" he asked as she burst into tears. Booth took a breath and stood up. He sucked in his bottom lip and walked over to her, arms outstretched. He had to approach her cautiously when she had these emotional breakdowns. Sometimes she would allow him to hold her and comfort her. Other times, she would lash out. He had been the recipient of several slapped cheeks and a very painful knee to the groin. Today she walked into his arms and pushed her face into his chest. "I'm only wearing one slipper!" she cried, making him grin widely, out of her line of sight. Laughing at her to her face, could be tantamount to death by any means she could manage.

_Oh boy, I'm going to have to change my shirt again _ he thought to himself as he petted her on the back gently, feeling the wet patch forming under her face. If he patted her too hard, he could end up with a kick to his shins.

Brennan's emotional state had been quite a roller coaster ride this pregnancy. And she was only a little over half way through it. He knew that it was something to do with all the hormones her body was producing because of the twins. But neither of them had been ready for the mind shattering highs and depressingly morbid lows she was experiencing.

Booth was getting used to sleeping only about five or six hours a night, and they were broken hours. Brennan was having weird dreams that would wake her up. She would be crying or giggling depending on the nature of the dream. The one's that made her cry usually were about something going wrong with the birth, or the babies. She would be shaking and sobbing and it could take a hour to help settle her down and convince her that the twins were fine. Then she would get upset because she wasn't acting or thinking rationally and would cry about that.

Other times, she would be giggling about something funny that she had dreamed, but couldn't recall exactly what, that made absolutely no sense to Booth. Or she would simply wake up three or four times a night to pee, which of course meant Booth would end up getting up too because the sound of her peeing made him want to pee too. This was nothing like when she was pregnant with Christine. It was pretty much a lose, lose situation.

_There was one thing he was sure about. This was going to be a very, VERY, long pregnancy._

* * *

Christine had begged to go to Angela and Jacks for a couple of weeks during the summer vacation break. Booth had agreed immediately. Brennan had been against it. She didn't want Angela to feel obliged to look after Christine, but thankfully, Angela had told her that she welcomed having Christine come to stay. It was good company for Michael who was still an only child, and got bored during school holidays.

Angela and Jack had been trying for another baby for a while now. So, Booth and Brennan's news when they had returned from their vacation had both surprised and saddened Angela at first.

Of course in the big picture, she was extremely thrilled for her best friend. But deep down, it had brought her feelings of inadequacy to the surface. Jack of course, didn't think anything of it. He tried to tell her that they would have another baby soon. And he absolutely believed that. The problem was that she had fallen pregnant so quickly with Michael, that she was having trouble accepting that it wasn't happening as easily again.

So, Booth and Brennan were alone for two weeks. Booth had taken the time off work to spend with Brennan who was off work on medical advice. Plus Cam was insistent. Brennan had made a couple of very silly mistakes recently. Nothing major, but it was enough for Cam to stop and take notice. She was exhausted. Her morning sickness, or more accurately, all day sickness, had eased, finally, but she was physically depleted. A couple of weeks rest and relaxation Cam told her, and no argument. She had even gone so far as to take Brennan's ID and access swipes so that she couldn't sneak back into the lab. They would assess her fitness to return to work at that time.

Brennan, of course, had been extremely offended at first. But Cam and her doctor, had assured her that it was for her own good. Brennan eventually gave in. _They were both right. She was tired. Very tired, mentally, physically, emotionally._ She knew that she had been acting a little crazy lately. She just couldn't seem to get a handle on her emotions. Her doctor had assured her that there was nothing wrong with her. It was the hormonal surges her body was experiencing. It was something that some women pregnant with twins experienced. Not all, some. It would settle. Brennan just wished she wasn't one of the ones it did happen to, and she really hoped it would hurry up and settle soon.

So, she agreed to take two weeks off to just relax and do nothing. She would eat well, rest, and get a little sunshine. And Booth was determined to make sure that was exactly what she did.


	2. Chapter 2

Brennan was sleeping. She had argued with him that she wasn't tired of course. But he had sat on the side of the bed, rubbing her back exactly as she had specified, and she had dropped off to sleep within fifteen minutes of laying down. He had gently dropped a light quilt over her and tiptoed out of the room, pulling the door closed behind him.

* * *

He adjusted the brightness of the overhead light in the study, satisfied that it was perfect, then sat down, reached forwards and pressed the button. He leaned back in his chair, picked up his glass and took a long draught of cold beer, smiling to himself as the cold, frothy brew slipped over his tongue and down his throat. He put down the glass and smiled at the camera.

"Video Diary Day One. Hi there my baby boys. I'm your Dad. Dada. Daddy. I'm not sure what you will call me, but that's who I am. You two are still growing in your Mom's tummy. She's doing all the work right now. I don't really have much to do, except look after her. So, I thought that I would make a sort of video diary about you two munchkins. Um, yeah. We don't have names for you yet. But I'll let you know as soon as we know." Booth stopped for a moment and smiled, looking down at his stockinged feet, bending his big toes down. He was thinking about what he was going to say next.

"Right about now, you have about three more months before you are going to be born and join our family. Mommy is taking some time off work to rest. She's been working pretty hard lately and is a bit tired. I'm staying home to take care of her. Your big sister Christine is away on a little vacation. She's staying with your Aunty Angela and Uncle Jack and their little boy Michael. Oh! And you have a big brother too. His name is Parker. He's grown up now and doesn't live with us. But he's pretty excited about you guys too.

Firstly can I say, your Mommy is an amazing woman. She's real smart, brilliant in fact, and so beautiful. And she's a great mother. But she's a little bit crazy right now. See, there're these things called hormones and she. Well she's got a whole mess of 'em rushing around her body and brain right now. And it makes her a little bit anxious about you.

I guess this diary is probably just as much for me as for you. I really want you to know how you came to be, and how much I am looking forward to meeting you. But, for now, we'll just call it our little secret." Booth picked up his glass and took another draught of his beer.

"OK. So how did you guys begin. Well, your Mommy and sister and I were on holiday in Australia. That's a country way, way on the other side, and kind of on the bottom bit of the world. We were having a great time. We swam in the most beautiful oceans, and walked along beaches with sand that was so white, it shone like diamonds. We saw kangaroos and koalas and wombats. They're all animals that you won't see anywhere else in the world in the wild. I promise you we will take you there one day so you can see them too.

Anyway, we got sort of caught up in a situation while we were in Townsville, and got sidetracked from our holiday. Your Grandpa Max flew all the way from America and looked after Christine while Mommy and I worked with the Australian police. We helped solve a murder and catch a bad man. Oh, yeah. That's what your Mommy and Daddy do. We catch bad people and put them in jail. Anyway, at some point in the middle of all of that, we made you guys! So, that's where you began your life. You are the little Aussie souvenirs that we brought home with us. " Booth, leaned forwards and pressed the button, switching off the camera. He grinned to himself.

He removed the camera from the tripod and turned it over in his hands. He would upload the footage later and edit it once he had a few more videos. Whether he ever played this for anyone, he didn't really know yet. He just felt it was a good way of recording his feelings and excitement about the twins, and the countdown to their birth. He just wanted to keep it a secret from Bones for now. He wanted it to be a surprise for her and the twins. Their boys. _His sons. _

He swallowed and blinked as his eyes pricked with happy tears. He got so emotional when he thought about the fact that he was going to be a father again. It made his heart beat faster and his mouth turn up on the corners in a goofy smile. He got teary really easy too. _Maybe some of Bones' hormones were rubbing off on him_, he grinned and shook his head.

They had never really talked about having more children or not having more children. Bones knew that he was keen to have another baby. She hadn't been exactly against it, she just felt that they were so busy with work and with Christine. She wasn't sure that they would have time to fit in having another baby. Booth reminded her that they hadn't planned Christine and she had fitted into their lives just fine. He believed that there would always be time for another child. It wasn't something they would have to work at, it would just happen, and it would be wonderful.

_She also had said they didn't have time for a vacation on the other side of the world either._ He smiled to himself. _And they ended up doing both!_

* * *

He heard the bedroom door open and he quickly hid the camera in the back of the desk drawer and shoved the tripod behind the curtains. The study door opened and Brennan poked her head around the corner "There you are! I woke up and you were gone!" she said.

Booth walked over to her "I wasn't gone baby. I just came in here to" he looked around "to look for that electricity bill I meant to pay today. You don't know where it is do you?" he asked lamely.

"You didn't pay our electricity bill? Booth! What if our power gets shut off!" she shrieked. Booth mentally kicked himself several times. "Honey. It's OK. It's not overdue. I just wanted to pay it today. It's probably on the cork board and I just forgot." He said quickly wrapping an arm around her shoulder and turning her around propelling her out of the study and towards the kitchen. "I could use a nice cold lemonade. What about you?" he asked.

Brennan smiled brightly "That sounds wonderful. Can we have it out on the patio?" she asked.

Booth breathed a sigh of relief "Of course we can. How about I grab a menu and order some dinner too? What do you feel like?" he asked as he pulled the bundle of takeout menus from the kitchen drawer. Brennan smiled dreamily "Oh anything" she said. "Except pizza. Or Greek. Or Thai. Or Egyptian. Or Italian." Booth stared at her, mentally crossing off almost every takeout menu they had. "How about I make a salad?" he asked.

"Perfect!" she agreed as she walked out to the patio leaving him standing staring at the takeout brochures in his hand.

_Anything would be great! Except food!_ He mumbled to himself as he poured two glasses of the fresh lemonade he had made earlier. _He knew that she couldn't help it, and that she would get over it after the babies were born, but boy, this emotional baby brain thing she was going through was the worst!_ He kicked the door open with his foot and smiled as he saw her bending over the rosebush he had planted for her when they first moved into their mighty hut.

"The roses smell wonderful Booth!" she said straightening up and walking towards him. She had a stem with a half opened bud in her hand. "Here! Smell this!" she shoved the flower into his face, forgetting that he was just a little allergic to roses.

"aaaahchooo!" Booth sneezed so hard that he spilled a little of the lemonade. "Honey, that's great, but can you please not AHHHCHOOO!" his eyes watering, "not shove it up my nose?" he finished with another sneeze.

Brennan took her glass from him and sniffed the glass. "Does this have sugar in it?"

Booth shook his head as he blew his nose on the handkerchief he pulled from his pocket. "Nope. Just made the way you wrote down. Step by step. Must be really sweet lemons. I got them from the little open air market we pass when we go to Angela's. I stopped on my way home from dropping off Christine" he said, shoving the hanky back into his pocket and sipping his drink.

Brennan sniffed her glass again, then took a sip. She smiled up at him "Delicious! Almost as good as I make!" she said.

They sat down and clinked glasses "To us. And two wonderful weeks of just rest and good food and quiet time" he toasted. Brennan smiled "And spending lots of time together" she added. Booth nodded leaning forwards to kiss her.

"You know what I feel like?" she said suddenly pulling away from his puckered mouth. "Pizza!"

Booth stared at her, his eyes wide, trying really hard not to burst out laughing as his lips twitched.

_Oh boy, this was really going to be a long two weeks_


	3. Chapter 3

Booth opened his eyes and stared at the ceiling. He took a deep breath and exhaled slowly, lifting his arms above his head, stretching the muscles in his shoulders, tensing, then releasing them. He let them drop heavily to his sides and turned his head. She wasn't there. He reached out and touched her pillow. It was cold. She's been gone for a while.

He sat up and rubbed his eyes with the balls of his hands. Yawning he swivelled and dropped his feet to the floor, feeling around with his toes for his slippers. They weren't where he stepped out of them last night. He spread his knees and looked down between them at the floor, leaning forwards to see if they were under the edge of the bed. They weren't.

Hopping off the bed he got down onto his knees to see if they were further under the bed. They weren't. Leaning on the edge of the mattress he groaned as he pushed himself up off the floor. He scratched his jaw, feeling the soft stubble, and noting that he probably should have a shave in the next few days.

"huh? I could have sworn they were here" he mumbled to himself. He grabbed a pair of sweats and pulled them on, hopping on one foot as the other got tangled in the bunched up leg. "Damn it!" he yelled as he lost his balance and tipped towards the floor, saving himself at the last minute by grabbing onto the foot of the bed. He pulled the pants off his foot roughly, reaching into the bunched up leg and pulling it out, then leaned against the bed and pushing his feet one at a time into the legs, pulling them up and loosely tying the string at the waist.

He slowly came down the stairs following the suspicious aroma's wafting from the kitchen. His curiosity peaked, he poked his head around the corner. Brennan was standing at the stove, she was making breakfast. He smiled. She was singing softly, her hair was down, the sun shining through the window making the top of her head glow like she was wearing a golden crown. She was wearing a knee length, pale green wrap that he had bought last week. He found it in a maternity store and got it for her because her everyday one just wasn't big enough anymore. It was soft and silky and clung to her, showing her amazing breasts, her still firm behind and her long shapely legs. And on her feet. His slippers. He clamped his lips together.

"Bones! You got up early!" he said as he walked towards her. She turned and smiled brightly. "I know! I woke up and I just felt amazing! I'm making pancakes!" she announced proudly. Booth nodded, and forced his mouth into a smile, his lips pressed together. Pancakes weren't exactly her forte. He was the pancake king of the family. Stepping towards her, he leaned in to kiss her cheek. His eyes landed on the thing in the frying pan. It was kind of orangey-brown, and. Lumpy?

"Wow! What kind of pancakes are they hon?" he asked warily. She smiled and flipped the thing in the pan with the egg slice. "Just normal pancakes. I thought we could have syrup with them. I forgot to buy whipped butter." she said. Booth's eyebrows raised up _just normal ones? Then why are they orange and lumpy?_ "They look. Delicous." he said, turning away, his mouth forming the silent words _Oh My God _

"I'll get some juice and the syrup" he offered. Brennan smiled, proud of her efforts. She tipped the final pancake onto the pile of oddly shaped cakes and picked up the plate and carried them over to the table. She went back to the counter and poured two mugs of coffee, then set one down in front of Booth and sat down.

"Coffee? I thought you weren't drinking coffee any more Bones?" he asked surprised. She shrugged "I know, but today, I just felt like I wanted one" she said as she took a sip. He waited for her to throw the mug, or to spit the coffee out, but she just grinned and took another long draught "mmm so good" she murmured. Booth shook his head and refrained from commenting, instead, poking at the pile of pancakes looking for one that was the least orange and brown. He found one that vaguely resembled an actual pancake and put it onto his plate. He poured a little too much syrup onto it and then using his fork, cut through it, with a little more force than usually required, forking the piece into his mouth.

"Good, huh?" Brennan asked him as she speared three pancakes with her fork and put them on her plate, pouring syrup over them. "mmmm. Yummy" Booth replied, forcing himself to smile, as he chewed on the thing in his mouth.

Brennan picked up her knife and fork and cut a piece of pancake and held it up to her mouth, hesitated, then put it down on her plate.

"something wrong?" Booth asked. She shrugged "I don't want pancakes. I think I just want toast" she said looking at him. "What's wrong with me Booth? I know I'm acting strangely. I can't seem to make a decision. I fly off the handle easily. I seem to just float around in a cloud most of the time. I know the doctor said that I'm probably just having an overly inflated influx of hormones because of the twins, but I just don't feel like me most of the time!" she said, her bottom lip dropping.

Booth reached out and grabbed her hand, he had the piece of pancake he had been chewing for the last five minutes clamped between his back teeth. "Honey, there's nothing wrong with you. You know the doctor said some women get a little." He had to choose his words carefully. "Overwhelmed, when carrying twins. I think that maybe you are one of them. Just relax. Don't worry so much. See, this is exactly why you need this time off. To just calm down, relax, rest. See how good you are this morning? You even cooked!" he said encouragingly.

Brennan tilted her head and smiled at him. He really was the best husband in the entire world. She knew that the doctor and he were right. She had moments when she felt like her old self. Lucid, intelligent, balanced. She just wished she felt like this all the time. She was well aware of the times when her brain wouldn't function. It was like she was trapped inside someone else's head. It was most disconcerting and frustrating and sometimes, a little frightening.

"You're right of course. I really do feel a little like my old self today." she smiled. "You two need to just settle down and stop making Mommy act so irrationally" she said to her belly, rubbing her hand backwards and forwards across it. Booth chose that moment to surreptitiously wipe his mouth with a napkin, spitting the bit of rubberised pancake into it. He stared at his wife. She was so beautiful right now. Her hair falling softly over her face as she looked down at her belly. Her eyelashes forming a shadow on her cheek, the curve of her mouth as she smiled at her unborn babies. Her hand, gently splayed over them, the sun glinting on her wedding ring.

"Do you have any idea how much I love you right now Bones?" he whispered. Brennan glanced up and saw his eyes, dark, velvety, full of love for her. They were so right together. "I'm sorry I've been so unlike me" she said reaching out for him. He shook his head "It doesn't matter. And it won't last forever. Only three months Bones and our little men will be here!" he said excitedly. "so I was thinking, do you want to go shopping for the nursery today? We really do need to get a second crib and maybe some blue baby clothes? Do you feel up to it?"

Brennan's eyes lit up "Yes! I think that would be so much fun! Do you think Christine will mind that we shopped for them without her? I had promised her she could come with us when we did decide to go." she said. Booth shook his head "Nah. She's having a lot of fun with Michael, Angela and Jack. What about, we buy her something new for her room too as a surprise. What do you think?" he asked. Brennan clapped her hands together, her eyes shining "We did see a beautiful lamp in a catalogue the other day that she liked. We can get her that!" she said as she stood up. "I'll get dressed and then we can get going. I'm really looking forward to today Booth!" she bent and dropped a kiss on his cheek. "I love shopping for baby things!" she chirped as she left the kitchen.

Booth grinned "Perhaps I'll buy a new pair of slippers too" he chuckled as he got up and cleared the table.


	4. Chapter 4

Life in the Booth household had become less frenetic lately. Brennan's bouts of hormonal turmoil were becoming less frequent, just as her doctor had told her they would. Her mood swings had settled to a minimum, and she was much calmer these days. She still had moments when Booth wanted to duck for cover, but happily, they were less volatile and lasted for much shorter periods of time. Booth had gone back to work, however she had not gone back to work after her two week break as originally planned. Well, actually that's not quite true. She had tried.

Her first day back at work was if nothing else, reminiscent of a bad Tarantino movie. There was blood. Lots of it. Literally.

* * *

Clark and Wendell had been preparing a body that had been discovered, buried near a children's playground at a local school, for Cam to do the autopsy. They were not expecting Brennan to walk into the lab, or rather, waddle. At seven months gestation, she was considerably larger than she was while carrying Christine. Her feet were heavily swollen, and she had only left home twenty minutes earlier.

She wasn't even going to tell Booth that she had to push the driver's seat all the way back to fit behind the wheel and that her toes only just reached the gas pedal. She had greeted them as she normally would, cordially but curtly. She asked where Cam was, and they had started to tell her, when she noticed the body and decided to take a look. It was, after all going to be her first day back on the job. She wanted to take note of the victim prior to Cam doing the autopsy and them eventually preparing the bones for her.

Both Wendell and Clark were surprised to see her, and told her that they had not been advised that she was returning. Clark kept his eyes averted from Brennan, remembering his fascination for her breast size the last time she was pregnant. She pushed in-between them to see, but her foot connected with a pedal under the bench which opened the chute that released the contents of the tray beneath the body. Unfortunately, Clark had not yet put the buckets in place and all the body fluids gushed from the tray across the floor of the lab. Both Clark and Wendell stood frozen for a moment before they both reacted, but they were unable to. It was dark, sticky, and, unfortunately for Clark extremely slippery. He collided with Wendell as they both dove for the pedal to close the chute and lost his balance. He hit the floor with a sickeningly wet thud, sliding sideways away from where Brennan and Wendell stood.

Wendell managed to close the chute, albeit too late. He stood back, slightly behind Brennan, looking at Clark who was struggling to get up off the floor, his hands and feet sliding awkwardly as though he was playing some weird game of twister. Brennan was still in shock at her mishap and was staring at the pedal she had unwittingly stepped on. Wendell finally lost his composure and burst out laughing. Guffawing was probably a better description. He was doubled over, holding his stomach and to make it worse, pointing at Clark.

Clark, needless to say was unimpressed. He managed to crawl out of the pool of blood, sat up and removed his shoes and socks, throwing them at a nearby rubbish bin, then using a secured bench, haul himself up off the floor. His clothing was soaked, dark red and pungent. Brennan suddenly realising what had happened, had watched Clark crawling across the lab floor when she burst out laughing, encouraged by Wesley's now high pitched giggling.

Cam walked in at that moment. To say she was not happy was an understatement. Evidence had been lost. The lab was a mess. Clark was a combination of fuming and embarrassment, while Brennan and Wendell were acting like two school children. Brennan apologised profusely, both for her reaction, and for the mess, taking total blame for the mishap, before she backed into another bench with some jars of samples, sending them toppling to the floor, which had sent Wendell off on another bout of girly giggling. Cam had dismissed Clark to go get cleaned up and ordered Wes to clean up the lab. His laughter immediately disappearing when he realised he was going to have to do all the work. And of course that made Clark quite happy and he was laughing as he exited the lab.

Brennan had followed Cam to her office to discuss her coming back to work when it had suddenly occurred to her that just maybe, she _was_ way too heavy and cumbersome. Her hands, swollen, were no longer agile, and she would not have been able to handle the equipment or the fine fragments of bone that her job entailed.

Cam pointed out those very facts to her, along with the occupational health and safety issues. She was disappointed at first, and there were tears, that made Cam uncomfortable. They stopped as quickly as they had started and Brennan admitted to her that this pregnancy was having much more impact on her physically and emotionally than she had expected. Cam had been both sympathetic and relieved. And so she and Cam decided mutually that she would be starting her maternity leave immediately. Cam was more than amenable, keen to get her out of the lab without causing any more mishaps, and told her that it was for the best and to keep in touch. They made arrangements to go out to lunch before the babies arrived. And so she had gotten back in the car, driven for the last time, and accepted that being at home was clearly was the best place for her to be.

* * *

At her obstetrics appointment the next day, her doctor had also agreed that she had made a very wise decision. Her blood pressure was good, and her fluid retention, while still not great, was better than it had been two weeks earlier, while she was working, standing on her feet for most of the day. She had some sugar readings that he was not particularly surprised by, but basically told her that if she kept on doing what she was doing, she would delivery two healthy bouncing baby boys in less than ten weeks. He had also prepared her for the possibility that she may go into early labour because of the size of the babies, and to be organised and ready to go straight to hospital should that occur.

Brennan's early pregnancy home birth plans had been quickly put to rest once she had mentioned them to her doctor. Twin births held their own set of complications and he had told Brennan that she would find it hard finding anyone who would agree to take on a home multiple birth. Brennan of course had fussed and argued, but then after doing a mountain of research had realised that her doctor might actually be right, so had reluctantly agreed that hospital was going to be the way to go and booked a birthing suite.

Booth had been completely oblivious to all of this as she had not told him of her original plan to give birth to their children in the middle of their living room in a portable blow up pool. It was also highly likely that Booth would never survive that experience.

* * *

Angela had finally brought Christine home. She had spent three weeks of the summer holidays with Angela, Jack and Michael. The two children had had a wonderful time together. Angela had told Brennan that Christine was welcome any time. Michael and her were the best of friends. He was six months older than Christine, but funnily enough she was bigger than he was. Something that Christine loved to point out to him. She was tall and strong of limb, resembling her father. Michael was more, shall we say, petite. While his mother was a tall woman, he had not inherited her genes, more favouring his father, and was clearly at this stage not heading towards a career as an NBA basketballer.

Michael had, however, inherited his father's sense of humour, and natural curiosity in the world around him. He was always finding slimy, crawly, multi-legged creatures in the garden and would bring them inside and he and his father would pore over them together. Angela had put her foot down after finding a container of maggots in the kitchen fridge one day right next to a rice salad she had prepared. She had banished them to the shed at the bottom of the garden and thrown the rice away, unable to face eating it.

Angela, when told of Brennan's news had been very excited for her friend, although a little jealous. She and Jack had been trying for three years to conceive another child. It was hard news to swallow. She had conceived twice, but had miscarriages at around eleven weeks both times. Brennan found it hard to talk about with her. She hadn't had any trouble falling pregnant. In fact, both times, she hadn't even been trying, truth be told. She didn't want to sound flippant or insensitive, which she was well aware she could do if she started using medical reasoning. Instead she remembered that a strong arm around a shoulder, a kind word and an open ear were what most people needed when struggling. Booth had taught her that.

Booth had taught her many things.

* * *

She and Christine had stood and waved goodbye to Angela. Brennan had hugged her daughter tightly and kissed her face over and over, telling her how much she had missed her, much to Christine's surprise and disgust. Kissing was for babies. Not six and a half year old girls. Brennan had missed this little girl with her smart mouth and her energetic personality. She was most definitely her father's daughter. And she loved her and Booth both so much.

Christine had been a little bit upset when her mother had shown her the nursery with all its boxes and parcels still unopened. She had explained to Christine that they just had to get these things because the babies might come earlier than they expected. Christine had brightened when she heard that she might get her baby brothers a bit earlier than originally expected. Brennan then took Christine to her room to unpack and the first thing the little girl saw was the Tinkerbell lamp sitting on her bedside table. Her eyes were wide as she turned around and looked at her mother. She recognised it from the brochure they had been looking at before she had gone to Angela's. Brennan smiled widely as Christine had wrapped her arms around her stomach and hugged her.

She left Christine playing in her room with the other present from her father. A Tinkerbell doll and dressup set. Booth was most definitely a soft touch when it came to his daughter. Once Booth got home from work, they would have dinner and no doubt Christine would have them in stitches regaling them with tales of her and Michael's adventures. She had Booth's knack for story telling, more correctly exaggerating the truth.

She slowly came down the stairs and walked into the living room. Brennan sat on the couch and looked around her, her hands absently stroking her belly. She was a lucky woman. She understood now why women in love, and with families, always that that sort of glow about them. She was fairly certain she had that glow now. She closed her eyes and smiled.


	5. Chapter 5

"OK, so this is Video Diary Entry Number Seven.

So I thought today, I'd tell you a little about your family. There's me of course. Seeley Joseph Booth. Your Daddy. What can I tell you? I'm pretty tall, and I guess I'm fairly good looking, at least that's what your mother says. I was raised Catholic. That's your religion. We're Catholics and I guess God is pretty important to me. I was a pretty normal kid. I played a lot of sport, I didn't really like school much. When I grew up I was a soldier for a while, but now I work for the FBI. They are like police, but much better." Booth smiled.

"I have a brother, Jared. He's younger than me. We don't really get along too well. He's in the Navy. I haven't seen him for a really long time. He and I were brought up by our grandfather. Your great grandfather. I call him Pops but his name is Hank, Hank Booth. Your sister Christine calls him Grumpy Hank. Not because he's grumpy, but because when she was little she couldn't say Grandpa. Well, sometimes he is a little grumpy.

You have a Grandmother. My Mommy. She is Nana Marianne. And you have Grandpa Max who is Mommy's Daddy. And there is also Mommy's brother, Russell and his family. We don't see them too often as they live on the other side of the country. I guess this is all pretty confusing right now, but once you meet everyone, you'll get the hang of it."

Booth picked up a photo and held it up to the camera. "This is your big brother Parker. He's a teenager now. He doesn't live with us. He lives with his Mommy. She and I. Um, we. He doesn't live with us. He's in high school and will be going off to college soon, but he does visit occasionally. He's pretty tall like me, and a loves sports." Booth looked at the picture, remembering the day it was taken.

It was their last day in Australia. They were standing with their arms around each other's shoulders. Parker's hair was blowing in the breeze so it looked like it was standing straight up in the air. Parker was almost as tall as Booth. They were both grinning straight at the camera. _We have the same smile and eyes_ Booth thought looking at the picture. "He's looking forward to having two little brothers. He wants to teach you all kinds of cool stuff like how to throw a football, how to steal a base. That's baseball. And how to ride a bike. Although I told him that I actually want to teach you how to ride. We'll have to talk about that one. Maybe he can help because there are two of you."

He put the photo down and held up another one "This sweet little lady is your sister. Christine Angela. We named her after your Mommy's mother and her best friend, your Aunty Angela. She's six years old and is dying for you two to hurry up and be born so she can start bossing you around. I have to warn you. She's a lot like her mother, so, we guys. We have to band together or else we will have no hope." He smiled brightly at the camera "she looks like me except for her eyes. She has your Mommy's beautiful blue eyes. I wonder what colour your eyes will be and who you will look like? You are identical the doctor says, so I guess that means we might even have trouble telling you apart!" he pondered. Then set the photo to one side.

"and this" Booth held up a photo of a bride. "This beautiful lady is your Mommy. This was the day we got married. The best day of my life." He said looking down at the photo, a smile playing on his lips. "It took a long time for us to get to that day." he continued, his fingers playing over the photo, tracing the contour of her face. "We first met about fifteen years ago, I guess. We worked on a case together. I remember I kissed her and then later on she slapped me. Not all in the same day. Anyway. We didn't see each other for a couple of years after that. Then, one day I found out she was going to be working with the FBI. Between you and me, I can say that I wasn't exactly thrilled. Your Mommy was kind of bossy and we didn't really like working with each other at first. But we sorted it out eventually."

Booth smiled down at the photo and laid it to one side, picking up another one. It was of them, dressed up as a Squint and Wonder Woman. He grinned, holding it up in front of the camera "See us? It was Halloween and everyone at work got dressed up for a party, but your Mommy and I had go off to catch a bad guy instead." He looked at the photo again, "Your Mommy looked really hot that day! She didn't think I noticed, but I did" he said grinning widely.

"Anyway we had a lot of ups and downs along the way, but one day, we suddenly realised that we really loved each other, and we had your sister. Then we got married, and now we're having you two! Well, that's your family!"

He switched off the camera and smiled. The twins were due in about seven weeks and he was getting excited and nervous. They were going for a scan next week to check on the size and development of the babies. He wanted to try to get the video footage from the scan to include in his video, but getting it without Brennan finding out why wasn't going to be easy.

What Booth didn't know was that Brennan had been standing in the doorway listening to him for most of his recording. She had woken up from her nap and gone looking for him. She wasn't prepared for what she found. Once again, Booth had taken her by surprise by making a video for their children. Tears had trickled down her face as she listened to him describing their family to the camera. She had almost laughed out loud when he talked about when they had first met. She had snuck away from the study to wipe her face, just as he was finishing up and got about half way back up the stairs when she heard the study door. She turned around and started coming back down the stairs slowly.

"You're awake!" Booth said as he saw her coming down the stairs. She smiled, her heart filling to the brim with love for this wonderful man, her husband and father of her children. "I was hoping you would wake up soon. I wanted to start putting that crib together this afternoon" he added. He met her at the bottom of the stairs, holding out his arms to her as she stepped onto the bottom step and wrapped her arms around his neck. He nuzzled her breasts, kissing each one, then bending down and kissing her tummy. "How are you feeling?" he asked her looking up into her blue eyes. They were particularly bright.

"I feel wonderful! A bit hungry." she smiled at him, stroking his cheek. She loved the feel of the soft scruff on his face. He never seemed to get that hard scratchy bristle that some men did. "Can I get you something?" he asked her, holding her elbow as she stepped off the bottom step. Her feet were encased in his old slippers again, he noticed.

"No, that's OK. I'm just going to grab some fruit I think and a glass of lemonade and I'll come back up and sit with you while you put the crib together." she said. Booth nodded and watched her wander into the kitchen "Can you grab me a couple of apples?" he called out after her as he started up the stairs.

* * *

The nursery was in shambles.

They had gone a little crazy on their shopping day last month. Not only had they bought a new crib. They had bought a new twin pram, matching linen for the cribs, two new baby seats, two new mobiles to hang over the cribs, six huge boxes of disposable nappies, despite Brennan's dislike of them, she realised that with two babies, she would never be able to keep up with all the washing and so she relented, and several sets of tiny blue baby clothing.

Booth's favourite thing was the baby clothes. He could have gone completely crazy and bought out half the store. They had tiny basketball and hockey uniforms, and sporting jerseys, teeny little soft baby sneakers, baby baseball caps with team logos. Brennan had rolled her eyes and told him that she wanted her babies to actually look like babies for at least a few months, and not like miniature athletes. Booth had put back the two pair of baby sneakers and the little baseball caps. She had however, relented and let him have the Flyers bibs and two little Flyers jumpsuits. She had seen his face when he first saw all the sporting baby stuff. She couldn't deny him a couple of things.

The rest of the baby clothing however, was more traditional. Blue sleepsuits, blue and white singlets, blue booties, some tiny blue hats, and several blue baby blankets. The weather would be changing by the time the babies arrived and they would be well into Fall. She reminded Booth that they would probably receive a lot of baby clothes for boys as gifts when the twins were born, and that they would possibly grow out of some of them before they even got to wear them, the same way Christine had outgrown some of her tiny newborn outfits before she had even worn them.

He could see the point of what she was saying and agreed that it made sense although the sales woman was seeing dollar signs and tried her hardest to make a big sale. Brennan was however, really excited about the new double pram that the woman had convinced her she needed. It had independently reclining seats and was only 28 inches wide so that it would fit through all standard doorways and was one of the lightest double buggies available. She had been worrying about getting one that was going to be manageable if she was out on her own. It had been expensive, but as far as she was concerned it was worth every cent of the thousand dollars it had cost her.

Of course Booth had thrown his hands in the air and acted as though she was literally throwing money on the sidewalk for strangers to pick up. But as she had pointed out to him, if she was going to stay at home for a while after she had the twins, and he was going to go back to work, she needed to be able to get out of the house occasionally. And a manageable pram was mandatory. He wasn't going to be around every time she wanted to go for a walk or even just wheel the babies out to the back yard while she did some gardening.

Brennan also pointed out that she could have spent a lot more if she had purchased one with mobile phone chargers and drink chillers included. She had, of course, absolutely no intention of wasting money on something as frivolous as that, but she wanted to make the point to Booth that it was a good purchase. He had relented and admitted that it was very light as he loaded it into the back of their car, realising that she wouldn't be able to lug around a huge, cumbersome twin pram by herself, and praising himself for making a wise purchase in the end.

Booth kneeled down and got himself settled on the floor. He pulled the box containing the small parts of the new crib towards himself. Using a box cutter he opened it and started pulling out the components. The base was separate, as were the four sides. He literally just had to put it all together. He had put Christine's crib together six years earlier with a minimum of fuss. At least that's how he remembered it.

Brennan however had a different recollection of the afternoon that resulted in him putting his fist through the base of the crib, and her having to take him to the emergency room to have it X-rayed while on the way to purchase a new base, and arrange for someone to come to the house and put it together for them. But she wasn't going to bring that up. Best to let sleeping dogs lie.

After about two hours of him groaning and grumbling about the quality of the parts, he finally threw the screwdriver across the room, embedding it in one of the nappy boxes. Brennan was sitting in the rocking chair quietly reading a book, looking up occasionally to watch his face getting redder and redder. He eventually threw his hands up and looked at her, exasperated. "This is impossible!" he announced. "I don't know how they expect anyone to be able to put these things together. Just look at these instructions! They're not even in English! Just a bunch of poorly drawn pictures!" his voice strained.

Brennan smiled and held up her phone. "Shall I ring the store or do you want to?" she asked, trying very hard not to smile. She had wanted to just arrange for the crib to be put together and delivered, but Booth, being Booth had argued that it didn't take a genius to put together a simple crib. _It was just four sides, a base and some legs!_ _How hard can it be?_ His own words ringing in his ears. Booth gritted his teeth and reluctantly admitted his defeat. "Fine" he said shortly. "You call them." He got to his feet and retrieved the screw driver from the box of nappies. "Here. You better return this when they come. It's the wrong type, doesn't fit the screws." he said handing it to her.

Brennan simply nodded and tried to look sympathetic to his plight. He had no sooner left the room when she burst out laughing. She pulled the Phillips head connection out of the convertible handle and turned it around to the flat screwdriver, pushing it back into the handle and clicking it into place, then put it back in the box of parts. The instructions were clearly printed on the side of the handle. She didn't have the heart to tell Booth.

Not yet anyway.


	6. Chapter 6

"So Temperance, the babies are doing fine. You need to rest a little more though." The doctor held up a hand as Brennan opened her mouth to argue. He was quite used to this overly confident, slightly bossy woman now. She had frustrated and entertained him immensely over the last seven months. Her refusal to follow instructions, her insistence that her medical "_training_" made her quite capable of managing her pregnancy without help, her crying over little things that she deemed out of her control. Despite it all, she was definitely one of his favourite patients. "I know that you say feel fine. But I'm telling you to slow down. Just take a breath. All this last minute running around will achieve nothing, other than leaving you exhausted. And I don't care what you say about your first labour. This will not be the same. You have two babies to deliver. We need to monitor number two while number one is passing through the birth canal. Labour with twins is intensive and can be quite draining, emotionally and physically. So just go home and rest. Please." he finished off.

Brennan sat with her arms folded across her stomach. Her face stony. "But we wanted to go visit my husband's grandfather before the babies are born. And there are still things I need to do." The doctor shook his head and huffed "None of which cannot be done after they are born. You will be in hospital for a few days, possibly a week, depending on how you pull up after the labour. Temperance, I know you. You just don't like handing control over to anyone. But I'm not asking you. I'm telling you."

"I'll help look after you Mommy!" Christine offered. "See?" the doctor said smiling and holding out the candy jar to Christine, who took a lollypop happily and sat back down. "You have a willing helper right here" he said to Brennan.

Booth rolled his eyes and waited for Brennan to bite back. But she simply stared at the doctor for a moment, then unfolded her arms and rubbed the lower portion of her immense belly. The babies were due in three weeks and she was already having regular Braxton Hicks contractions. "Fine. Alright." She agreed. Booth let out a loud sigh then quickly coughed to cover it up. Brennan flicked a steely glare at him, not fooled for a moment. She knew that Booth agreed with the doctor and they had had several _discussions_ about her last few weeks before the arrival of their twins.

"Alright then. We'll be seeing you hopefully in three weeks. But as I've indicated to you, the likelihood of you going into early labour is quite possible. The babies are turned, and number one is presenting quite low. As soon as you have any indication that things are moving, I want you to ring me and get to the hospital immediately." The doctor said, holding out a hand to Booth "And good luck" he added as Booth shook it.

* * *

They were standing on the street outside the doctor's office waiting for a cab. Booth's car was in for a service, which had caused Brennan to stress. He had explained that he hadn't realised at the time he booked it in that her appointment was going to be on the same day. "Three weeks Bones. Less than 3 weeks!" Booth said grinning widely. Brennan couldn't help but smile back. His smile was nothing short of infectious. Christine was skipping around them clapping and singing something about being a big sister. She stepped towards him and kissed him. "Between you and me, it is going to be sooner Booth. I just have a feeling" she said. Booth stared at her, his mouth hanging open. "Not now?" he said quickly. Brennan laughed, "No. But I'm pretty sure we'll be heading off to the hospital within the week. Don't ask me why I know, I just have this feeling" she said rubbing at the spot low on her stomach again. Booth grabbed Christine's hand. Brennan was checking her handbag for her phone when it happened.

A man ran up to them out of nowhere. He was aggressive and loud. He stepped right up to Brennan and yelled in her face "You bitch! You caused it! It's your fault! Six years of my life!" Brennan stared at the man, shocked. Booth let go of Christine's hand with a curt "don't move" and grabbed the man's shoulder pulling him back from Brennan. The man started to turn, but caught Booth off guard with a fist, connecting with his cheek sending him stumbling backwards. He turned back and shoved Brennan backwards. "You bitch! I hope you lose that kid, just like I lost mine when I went to prison!" he screamed. Brennan's face paled as she fell backwards. Booth grabbed at the man again, throwing him to the ground and kneeling on his back, one hand holding the man's hands together behind his back, the other dialling 911.

Suddenly, Christine started screaming. Booth looked around, confused. He saw Brennan on the ground. The moment started moving in slow motion. Christine's scream became muffled in his ears. The man beneath him was moving slowing, struggling to get up. Booth pushed his knee into the man's back harder as a police car came around the corner, sirens and lights going. He jumped off the man as the police officer ran towards him.

He crawled towards her, her eyes were closed, not moving on the pavement. "Bones. BONES!"

All the while Christine stood over her mother screaming "Mommy! Mommy! Mommy!"

Booth gathered his daughter into his arms and kneeled beside his wife, gently trying to rouse her.

* * *

The ambulance arrived after what seemed like an eternity. Not once had Brennan opened her eyes. Booth's heart felt like it had stopped beating. His skin paled. His mouth dry. His eyes wet. His daughter clasped tightly to him as they sat in the ambulance on the way to the hospital. Booth sat holding her hand, answering questions by rote. Her name, age, state of health, due date, how she had fallen, religious inclinations. "Why do you want to know about that?" Booth asked "she doesn't believe in God" he added staring at the woman he loved more than the world. He crossed himself "I have enough faith for both of us" he whispered.

Christine was lifted from his arms by a nurse at the hospital. "We'll take care of her" they assured him. The little girl was strangely silent. "_In shock_", they told Booth. "_she'll be fine_" they said. Words hit Booth like cold water. He nodded absently. They left him, sitting in the waiting room while they wheeled Brennan away. He watched her disappear behind those blue doors with the strange porthole windows. He wanted to follow. _To hold her hand. To talk to her. To let her know he was there._ But no, they said. He felt useless. _Helpless. Broken_.

Hours passed. Booth opened his eyes. His neck was stiff. He had pins and needles in his left foot and he didn't know where he was. Then, realisation hit.

"Where's my wife!" he yelled out. He stood up and looked around helplessly. "Bones!" he called out, fear straining his voice. "Bones!" he ran to the corridor and yelled again. No response from her.

He was confronted by a nurse wearing pale blue top and pants. A badge with her photograph and the name Sara pinned to her chest.

"Mr Booth. Calm down. Your wife is in good hands. She's been moved to a private room. I'll take you there, but please. You need to stop yelling." she said, her hand pressing firmly on his arm, forcing him to look at her.

Booth swallowed and took what seemed like his first breath in hours. "sorry. Of course. Please, I just want to see her" he said feeling anxious. "and my daughter?" he asked. The nurse patted his arm. Your daughter was picked up by her Aunt Angela and Uncle Jack. They didn't want to disturb you while you were sleeping. Booth looked at the nurse "But. How?" he stammered. The nurse smiled, "Your daughter is very resourceful, she found her Aunts number in her mothers phone and called her." Here." She said handing him a note. Booth stared at the piece of notepaper folded in half. He nodded and opened it up, reading the note.

_Dear Booth. Please don't worry about Christine. She's coming home with us. You need to concentrate on Brennan. Please let me know what is happening. I'm so worried, but the nurses wouldn't, or couldn't, tell us anything, except that she had a fall. You were sleeping and they told us that you were in shock and that we should just let you rest for now. Please Booth. Call me as soon as you get this note. Ang._

Booth stared at the words, they were blurry or maybe that was just his eyes. He crumpled the note and shoved it deep into the pocket of his jeans. He fumbled through his pockets looking for his phone. It wasn't there. He found his way to the information desk and asked if there was any news about his wife. The nurse looked at him with what he swore was pity. His stomached flipped. She nodded and asked him to follow her.

He stood at the door, looking through at the woman in the bed. She looked different. Strange. Pale. Her stomach pushing up under the sheet that covered her. Large and round. Filled with life. He looked down at the nurse, "Can I?" he asked, unsure. She nodded and smiled "Of course! She isn't conscious. The doctor will come and speak to you soon. Just be with her" she said kindly.

"The babies?" he asked, not sure he wanted to hear the answer.

"They're both doing well. Strong heartbeats and moving regularly. There's nothing to worry about with them Mr Booth." she reassured him. Booth nodded and tried to smile, but his mouth was frozen. He turned back and looked at Brennan. He took a breath and stepped into the room. The faint odour of lemon hit him as he walked towards the bed. He leaned down and kissed her forehead "Baby. I'm here. Wake up Bones. Please wake up" he whispered to her.

Her eyes remained sheathed by her lids, lashes curved over her cheek. Her mouth closed, lips softly touching each other. Her breath was slow and steady and soft. _Maybe she's just sleeping_ he thought to himself, hopefully. He pulled a chair close to the bed and sat on the edge, wanting to be as close to her as he could be without actually lying next to her. He held her hand, lifting it to his mouth, kissing the palm, then resting his cheek against it "Come on Bones. Please baby. I'm here now. Wake up. It'll be fine if you just wake up." he choked the words out as tears filled his eyes.

The doctor came into the room and coughed softly. He didn't want to interrupt the man, sitting with his face pressed against his wife's swollen stomach, but he needed to speak to him. "Mr Booth?" he said.

Booth sat up and turned, wiping his eyes on his sleeve and coughing to clear the lump from his throat. "Doctor? How is she?" he said quickly. Hoping that he would be told she was going to wake up any minute and he would be able to take her home where she belonged.

The doctor indicated for Booth to remain seated and pulled a chair up along side of him.

"I'm Doctor Swain. I've been assigned to your wife alongside her obstetrician. Have you been told anything about her condition yet?" he asked Booth, who shook his head. The doctor nodded, he knew that what he was going to say was going to be difficult for this man to hear.

"Your wife sustained a fairly strong blow to the back of her head when she fell Mr Booth. She's physically fine, as far as the babies are concerned, but" he swallowed as he watched Booth's face pale "She has a fractured skull and she's in what we call an induced coma. There was some bleeding to her brain. We are keeping her this way to allow the pressure to reduce slowly and naturally. We have given her some low doses of a drug to help that won't hurt the babies" he reassured Booth as he watched the panic cross his face.

"coma?" Booth echoed, his face confused.

"Yes. But please don't worry. She's being monitored every minute. And when the swelling has gone, we will slowly wake her up. We have to be mindful of the babies. Which is why we need to ask you. We could treat her quicker if she wasn't pregnant. And with the advanced state of her pregnancy, we need your permission." Booth shook his head, frowning. "What do you mean if she wasn't pregnant?" he asked.

The doctor nodded, understand his confusion. "We could treat your wife quicker if we had permission to deliver the babies now." he said, wanting Booth to understand fully what he was asking.

Booth's face screwed up "Deliver them? But she's not awake?" he asked, confused. The doctor nodded. "We know, we would deliver them via caesarean section, under anaesthetic. You could be at the delivery, of course." he said. Booth's face was still screwed up as he processed what the doctor was saying.

"So she won't be awake when her babies are born?" he asked, just to be sure he understood. The doctor nodded. "that's correct. But we would be able to treat her much quicker if we didn't have the welfare of the twins to worry about." the doctor said. Booth sat back in his chair, and stared at the doctor, then looked at Brennan, her face so still. He reached out and placed his hand on her stomach. Immediately he felt the sluggish movement of his sons. He looked at the doctor "And this is the safest way? For all of them?" he asked. The doctor nodded "It is" he answered.

Booth looked at Brennan again, then stood up. "I just have to make a phone call first." he said to the doctor who stood with him "Of course" Booth patted his pockets again. "I've lost my phone. Probably at the scene. Is there a phone I can use?" he asked. The doctor pointed to the corridor, "just go to the desk and tell the nurses I said you can use the phone there." Booth nodded and ran out of the room and down to the desk.

"Ang. Thank god. I'm at the hospital still. She's in." Booth swallowed hard, his mouth was so dry "she's in a coma. She's had bleeding on the brain. They want to deliver the twins so that they can treat her quicker. Ang. They're asking me to decide right now. What do I say?"

Angela sat down hard. She stared at Jack with wide eyes. She didn't need to say anything. He knew it was bad. He quickly told Michael and Christine to go see if they could find some caterpillars for him in the yard. As soon as the door closed, "Brennan's in a coma Hodgins. Booth has to decide if they can deliver the babies via c-section so they can treat her. He's asking what to do." Hodgins took the phone from Angela whom he knew was too close to Brennan. "Booth?" he said into the phone. "Dude, she's your wife. The mother of your children. You love her right? Then do whatever they tell you to do that is best for her. The babies will be fine. They're due soon anyway. They've told you everything right? The risks? Then do it man, just get your wife to wake up." he said firmly, staring at Angela, knowing that he would do the very same thing.

Booth hung up the phone without saying anything else. He walked back to Brennan's room and approached the doctor "Let's bring my children into the world and wake up their mother" he said, still not sure if he was doing the right thing, but having to have faith in the man in front of him and the team of doctors and nurses that would look after his wife and children.

* * *

Booth adjusted the medical mask over his nose and stared around, his eyes wide. Brennan was lying on a high hospital operating bed. A sheet covered her, except for her stomach which looked even bigger rising up out of the pale green sheets. She had an oxygen mask over her face and a tube in her arm. The anaesthetist was sitting beside her, calmly watching the dials in front of him. Brennan's obstetrician came into the room and walked over to Booth. "They'll all be fine Seeley" he said firmly nodding.

He indicated to Booth to come over and stand next to Brennan. "You can watch if you want. But be warned. If you faint, you will stay where you fall. We don't have time to worry about you. Understand?" he said to Booth frankly. Booth nodded, his face blanching "Watch?" he murmured vaguely.

It had not occurred to him that he would actually watch his babies being delivered surgically. He had delivered Christine himself. And to be honest, he couldn't really remember much about it. It had happened quite quickly and he was so excited and relieved that she arrived safely, he hadn't really any recollections of the actual physicality of her birth. This however was extremely real and in his face. He wasn't even sure he wanted to watch.

Before he knew what was happening, the doctor had scrubbed up and was standing over his wife's stomach. He had a scalpel in his hand and was talking to the nurse who was assisting him. The anaesthetist nodded his readiness and then it all started happening. All the while, Brennan lay there, breathing steadily into the mask, her eyes closed, not responding in any way to what was happening to her.

Booth however, responded to everything. His heart was racing. He was perspiring heavily and his breathing was laboured. He tried to just concentrate on her face, but his attention kept being drawn down to the blood that was dripping onto the floor. He felt his stomach lurch and he forced himself to keep from vomiting. He watched the doctor pass the scalpel back to the nurse and then he was confronted with a pair of tiny feet, then legs, a tiny torso and finally two arms and a rather large head being pulled from his wife's body with a sickening slurping sound. More blood and something else hitting the floor with a splatter.

He backed away from the table and turned, unable to quell the vomit that had risen in his throat. He emptied his stomach onto the floor. He wiped his mouth on his sleeve and turned, ashamed to face the faces of the doctors and nurses in the room all smiling at him clearly through their masks. The anaesthetist winked at him "not the first, won't be the last" he said almost laughing. Booth wiped his forehead on the sleeve that he had not wiped his mouth on. He saw that his firstborn son had been taken away and was strangely silent.

He wanted to call out, ask why he wasn't crying, but he also needed to stay and watch his other son come into the world. He was torn, worried and nervous. He didn't have to wait long. The doctor had his hands deep inside his wife's womb and was frowning. "come on little man" he muttered as he guided a large head out of the incision in Brennan's body. Two arms next, which were already jerking around and a slippery little body and shuddering legs and feet, the tiny toes turned upwards. A shrill mewling, already coming from his little mouth. Booth let go of the breath he had been holding. He was relieved but then overcome with fear. The first baby was still silent. The nurses were still working on him. He made his feet move and got as close as they would allow him.

"What's going on? Why isn't he crying or moving?" he asked, his voice choking.

"just a moment Mr Booth, please" a voice came to him, without anyone turning around to look at him.

His heart was in his throat. He turned back to watch the surgeon working on his wife, closing the wounds, stemming the blood that she had lost. The puddle under the table had gotten bigger, turning his stomach. He had seen far worse than this, but this was his wife, his partner, his lover, his everything. He felt himself getting light headed with the stress of it all. He sat down on the floor suddenly, lowering his head between his knees. It was all too much.

Suddenly a tiny, weak cry. A little voice, shuddering, as if he were cold. Booth got to his feet, wobbled slightly as his head spun, but he forced himself to focus. A nurse turned around, her face rosy, she held out a tiny bundle to him, wrapped in a simple white cloth. He held out his arms as she placed his son in them. "He's fine?" Booth asked. The nurse nodded "He is now. He had a bit of fluid in his throat and nose. It's cleared and he just needed a bit of encouragement to get breathing. But rest assured, he is perfect." Booth looked down at the tiny scrunched up red, munchkin face looking up at him, eyes swollen shut and little mouth open wide as a wavering cry came from him. "As is your first born, another nurse said holding out a second bundle to him.

He looked around and was guided to a lounge chair in the corner of the room where he sat down and his other son was placed in his other arm. He sat in wonderment, staring down into two fairly unattractive faces. Red, blotchy, puffy eyes, with thick black thatches on top of large heads.

"they're beautiful" he murmured as he stared with wonderment at his two tiny sons. He looked up and watched the doctor step away from Brennan and walk towards him. "All done. She'll be kept in the coma for about twenty four hours, and then they'll start to wake her up. She'll be monitored at all times, don't worry Seeley." he said. "They're pretty wonderful" he added looking down at the two bundles in Booth's arms. Booth's eyes were wet and his throat closed up with so much emotion, he couldn't respond apart from rapid blinking and nodding and a wobbly smile.

He was reluctantly relieved of his precious parcels as the nurses took his sons from him. They were going to be taken to the nursery, given a thorough bath and dressed in warm clothing and put into their cribs that were waiting for them. Booth was advised that they would be being bottle fed until Brennan was able to feed them herself. And he was also told that they would be kept in the nursery where he could visit them and begin to care for them himself if he wished. Most of it went over his head as he stared at Brennan.

She looked so peaceful and he walked over to her and bent down, kissing her face and whispering "We have two beautiful boys Bones. They're beautiful and healthy. You'll be able to wake up now and hold them. We're all waiting for you baby."


	7. Chapter 7

Booth carefully, lay his son in the crib next to his already sleeping brother. He stared down at them and felt that familiar tug in his chest and the lump in his throat. It was the most difficult thing he'd ever had to do. Caring for two tiny newborns alone, plus looking after their rambunctious six year old sister. He reached down and ever so gently stroked the cheek of the baby closest to him. So sweet, so soft and so unaware that their mother lay in a hospital bed, still in a coma. He felt the familiar sting in his eyes and turned away from the crib.

He slowly walked out of the nursery and into the bedroom he was sleeping in alone. It was the first time he had slept alone for seven years. He hated it. _I HATE IT! _echoing in his head. He sat on the bed heavily, then turned and buried his face in her pillow, letting the tears come again, as they did almost every day for five weeks.

Christine was at school. She didn't really understand what was happening. Just that her mother was sleeping at the hospital until her brain got better. And that daddy was looking after her and her new baby brothers. What else could he tell her when he didn't even know himself what was going to happen. He visited Brennan every single day, sitting beside her, the babies in the stroller beside him. He held them up for her, lay them on her chest, willing her to feel them, hear their little cries and heartbeats. But so far, nothing. No response. She just lay there.

The doctors and nurses had assured him that she was doing well. That sometimes, it just took time. She was strong and healthy, and that was in her favour. They were doing everything in their power to help her recover. But most of it had to come from her. She had to wake up on her own. They were sure it would happen. They just couldn't tell him when.

He even had tried loves true kiss, after watching a Disney movie with Christine. He was desperate and just thought, I _don't know what I thought, but it was worth a go. _He and Christine would come on the weekends and sit and talk to her. Christine would prattle on about her week at school, holding up pictures she had drawn for her mother. They were stuck all around the room, covering every spare inch of wall space, just in case Mommy woke up. She would see them and know that Christine had been visiting her.

The nurses at the hospital had been wonderful. They sometimes took the babies into the nursery to give Booth a bit of quiet time with Brennan. It wasn't really protocol, but they had come to love this man who clearly adored his wife and was clearly devastated by the tragedy he was caught up in.

* * *

The phone rang shrilly. Booth sighed and reaching out picked up the phone on the beside table.

"Booth" he said.

"Cherie it's Caroline. I have to tell you the trial date is set."

Booth closed his eyes "When" he said shortly. He nodded at Caroline's response and reassured her he would be there. Caroline asked after Brennan, and asked if he was looking after himself. He told her he was fine. Filled her in on Bone's progress, which was little. She told him that he wasn't to worry about coming back to work. His job would be there when everything was back to normal. She gave him her love and told him to keep in touch. To drop in one day and bring the babies in for her to see. He thanked her again, promising her he would and she hung up.

He replaced the phone on the cradle and lay back, covering his eyes with his hand.

_Lord I don't know that I have the strength for it all. Please. I'm asking you. I need help. And I need that bastard to burn for what he's done to Bones. I know that's not exactly the Christian thing to ask for, but you know I need it. She needs it. And I need you to help her wake up. Please God. Please! _

His silent prayer, not just a prayer but a tortured cry for help. Booth was drowning in a sea of emotion. He had the babies that needed him. He had Christine who needed him. He needed his wife. He needed her.

He sighed and dropped his hand. Getting up he listened outside the nursery door, all was silent. He slowly went downstairs to the laundry and started another load of washing. It was endless. _I don't know how she did it all _he thought to himself as he added fabric softener to the washing machine.

Angela had been trying to get him to hire a nurse to help him. But he wouldn't have it. _Strangers looking after her babies? Bones would have a fit._ Angela had argued with him, but she knew that she wasn't going to change his mind, so she just helped out with cooking for them. She would arrive at his door on her way to work with a huge pot of something she had cooked the night before. Mostly Booth's favourite things. Chilli, beef stew, a spaghetti sauce. He appreciated it more than she would ever know.

Sometimes she would pick up Christine on a Friday afternoon after school and take her back to her place for the weekend, to give Booth a break. She offered to have the babies as well, but Booth always refused. He never let them out of his care. It was his job to look after them until their mother could, he told her. She understood, but worried that he was running himself into the ground, looking after them, going to the hospital every single day to sit with Brennan. But she understood. He loved Brennan more than any man had ever loved a woman.

* * *

She was breathing steadily. He sat next to her, holding his son who was sucking hungrily on a bottle of formula.

"They're getting so big Bones! They're beautiful honey. They have dark brown hair like me and they have dark brown eyes too. They don't cry that much. Mostly when they're hungry. But I worry that they know that I'm not the one who should be looking after them. We need you to wake up Bones." He reached out and gently shook her shoulder as he did every day. "Please baby? Wake up? It's been nearly six weeks." He sighed and looked down at his son who was staring up at him as he sucked steadily on the teat of the bottle. His eyes were old, wise. Looking at him like he knew what was going on. "She'll wake up soon sweetie. Then we'll give you and your brother your names together." He said to the little baby who smiled and gurgled without letting go of the teat. Booth smiled and stroked his cheek gently.

His brother suddenly wailed, realising that it was lunch time and demanding his turn. Booth grinned and reached down and rested his hand on his other sons head. "Just a minute tiger. We're almost done here." He said gently as he prised the teat from his son's mouth, sat him up and gently rubbed his back until he emitted a burp so loud that it made Booth jump and then laugh out loud. "Atta boy!" he said proudly, dropping a kiss onto his sons head. He placed him in the stroller and lifted his brother out and sat him on his lap, looking at him. "I don't know how we're going to tell you two apart. I'm sure your Mommy will be able to" he said smiling and kissing the babies nose, making his snuffle and gurgle, his little arms waving around. Booth grabbed the other bottle of formula out of the hot water the nurses had provided him and tapped the teat against his son's top lip. The baby greedily opened its mouth and latched on and started sucking strongly, making little mewling noises that made Booth grin.

He looked up at Brennan and said "I'll say one thing. They've definitely got a man sized appetite Bones. I can't wait for you to meet them" he said looking down at his son.

"meet who?" a croaky soft voice said. Booth's head snapped up. Brennan's blue eyes were looking at him from under heavy lids. Her mouth was trying to curl into a smile.

"Bones. Bones!" He didn't know what to do. He stood up looking at Brennan, "don't go back to sleep Bones. Nurse! NURSE!" he yelled as he ran into the corridor still holding his baby son, the bottle pulled from his mouth, which made the baby begin to cry in protest. "Ooh sorry buddy. But Mommy's awake. You're mommy is awake! Nurse!" he yelled again.

One of the on call nurses came running towards him. "Mr Booth. You can't just scream for us if you need help with the twins" she said crossly. He shook his head "My wife. She spoke. She's awake!" he turned and ran back into the room, the baby in his arms wailing loudly. The nurse was right behind him and pushed past him to look at Brennan who was staring up at the ceiling, frowing.

"Mrs Booth? Can you hear me? Can you understand me?" she said softly, her hand touching Brennan's shoulder. Brennan turned and tried to focus and nodded. "thirsty" she croaked. The nurse patted her arm "I know, but I'll need a doctor to speak to you before we let you try to drink. I'm sorry. I'll get him here immediately" she said as she picked up the phone and paged the doctor on call.

Booth was trying to get his son to finish the bottle but was so excited, he had unsettled the baby, who was now screaming his annoyance at his father. The nurse took a quick blood pressure and checked Brennan's temperature and then smiled at her. You don't know how happy we are that you are back with us Mrs Booth" she said as she walked around the bed and took the baby from Booth. "I'll feed him. You talk to your wife. Not too much information, now. Don't overload her with details. Gently. OK?" she said. Booth let go of his son and handed the bottle to her "Thank you. Yes of course. She's awake. She's come back to us" he said, the words choking in his throat.

He turned and bent down and kissed her forehead. "Bones, baby, you're back. I love you" he whispered as he buried his face in her hair, her hand grasping weakly onto his. She closed her eyes and tried to speak, but the words were jumbled in her head and she couldn't work out where she was.

"love" she managed to croak, which made Booth start to cry again. He hadn't ever cried so much as he had during the last five weeks. "I love you too." he said.

"Mr Booth. I hear Mrs Booth has decided to come back to us?" the doctor's voice making Booth sit up and grin. "She has. But she isn't. She seems"

"Vague. Of course she is Mr Booth. She's been locked in a silent world for over six weeks. She's woken up and probably doesn't understand where she is, or what's happened to her. We have to take it slowly. Not scare her. Also. She's going to have some big hurdles to get over. She may have problems with speech, memory, fine motor skills, even walking may not come back immediately. We have to monitor her and lead her gently through every new step. Her recovery is just starting now. But, this is the first big hurdle. Now. If you don't mind. We need examine her. You can stay of course."

Booth nodded, then felt a wave of panic wash over him. "She saw me holding the baby. Would she understand that she had them already?" he asked the doctor.

"She may have just responded to what you said. She may not have realised that you were holding her baby. We will assess her and we'll have a psychologist come and talk to her. She'll be fine Mr Booth. Don't worry." Booth nodded "I think I'll go finish feeding my son. Come and get me when you've finished?" he asked stepping back from the doctor.

* * *

_She's awake. What if she doesn't realise she missed the birth? What if she resents me for making that decision? What if she doesn't bond with them? What if she's too weak to hold them?_

A slew of questions were flying through his head, terrifying him. It had been just a matter of when she wakes up for weeks. Now it was actually happening and he didn't have any idea how to handle it. He reached into his pocket and pulled out his phone. _Should I call Angela yet? Max? What if she slips back into the coma?_ He shoved the phone back down into his pocket, deciding not to call anyone until the doctors gave him the results of the tests. He sat on one of the grey plastic chairs lining the walls of the corridor. He felt lightheaded, dizzy, nauseous. He bent over and hung his head between his knees, feeling the panic rising in his gut.

"Mr Booth? Are you alright?" a soft voice said next to his ear. He turned slightly and saw one of the nuns that visited patients at the hospital sitting next to him, a bible clasped between her hands, her face soft and smiling. He had spoken to her before when he had visited the hospital chapel. He swallowed and sat up leaning his head against the wall. "I'm not sure sister. My wife just woke up from a coma and I'm petrified" he said honestly. "I assume you are happy she is awake. What are you scared of?" she asked. Booth frowned, looking down at his hands, fingers clasped together as if he was about to pray. "I'm not really sure" he said looking at her. "I think I'm scared she will be angry, or sad, or hurt about the babies already being born. I'm scared that she won't feel like she is their mother. I'm scared that they will not bond with her. I mean, I'm all they've known for their entire lives and I don't want her to be mad at me" his voice trailed off. The nun patted his arm "All valid worries, but none that necessarily will be a problem in the long run. God will guide you. He will help you both. Your children will come to know and love their mother, as she will them. Be assured, you are in his care" she said as she stood up. "I'll pray for you all" she added as she left him sitting there.

He took a breath and stood up. He nodded to himself "She's right. We'll be fine. It's going to take time. We just need to ride through it. It'll work out. I have faith that it will." He wandered down to the nursery and saw his sons being cuddled by the nursing staff.

"Congratulations!" they said as he walked in. He smiled "Well it's a long road we have to travel still, but thank you. I couldn't have gotten this far without you all." he said honestly hearing his voice break. One of the babies gurgled at that moment and made everyone smile "He's a talker that one" Booth said. "Just like his sister" he smiled.

"I guess we will be able to name them officially now. It just didn't feel right with her not being able to be part of it." Booth said, "I hope they're not too used to being called Buddy and Tiger!" he said "I doubt very much their mother will be too keen to keep those names" he laughed, feeling for the first time in five weeks as though a great weight had been lifted from his shoulders. "Although I could try" he added cheekily.


	8. Chapter 8

"I don't want your help. Please Booth! I need to do this myself!"

Temperance was standing, hanging onto the end of the bed. Booth had her walking frame in his hands ready to place it in front of her. But it only infuriated her.

"I don't need it!" she cried. Booth let out a long slow breath. Her recovery was taking a lot longer than she wanted it to. He was well aware that her brain injury had affected her motor skills to an extent. Her muscles had lost density, and she was often angry at herself for being weak.

"Fine. Stagger to the bathroom by yourself. Fall over, hurt yourself. Go on. Crawl if you want to. You're stubborn Bones. Damn stubborn!" he yelled at her and turned and walked out the door, then immediately felt guilty. He understood it. He had gone through the same thing when he had woken up from his coma. She hadn't seen a lot of it. He had not let her be there during his physiotherapy sessions. She wasn't there when he stumbled and fell. She never knew the pain, the anger, the embarrassment he went through. She never saw him crawling on his belly because he refused help. She didn't see him struggling with the simple daily things, like putting on his own socks. Tying his shoe laces. Pulling up his own pants. Having a shower by himself without a carer standing in the door of the shower watching him. It was demoralising, degrading, infuriating. He knew the pain. And he also knew how stubborn he had been at times. But. He also knew that without help, she was going to struggle, get frustrated and upset and he couldn't bear to see her suffer as he had. She was a proud woman, and he had to .

He heard her grunting, shuffling across the floor. Then a thump. His heart jumped into his throat, but he stayed outside the room. She wanted to do it by herself. He was going to let her, unless she got herself into trouble and asked for his help. He was distracted by a loud wail coming from the twins nursery. He sighed and walked over and opened the door.

* * *

He took a deep breath as he walked into the room and was assaulted by a violent odour. He shook his head. _Not again?_ He was still struggling with dirty nappies. He thought he had a fairly strong stomach, but some days. _How on earth does someone so small create such a large amount of poop? _ he thought as he picked up the offender. He held his breath, his nose screwed up as he lay his son on the change table and tried not to breathe as he removed the nappy. "Oh my god. You have got to be kidding me" he muttered as he rolled up the dirty nappy and grabbed a handful of nappy wipes and started wiping the mess from the baby's behind, his large hand holding two tiny feet with curled up toes. "How do you do that?" he asked as his son gurgled and smiled a big toothless grin at his father, his little arms waving, hands opening and closing.

Booth finally smiled back at him. He threw the dirty nappy and wipes in the bucket and sprinkled some baby powder around his son's rosy bottom and smoothed it over his soft skin. He then bent over and blew a big raspberry on his belly, making him chuckle that sweet baby laugh that melted his heart. He put on a clean nappy, glad that he had insisted on stocking up on disposable nappies despite Bones' arguments. He deftly dressed him in a clean jumpsuit and picked him up and held him at eye level. "Now, that feels better, right? Hopefully that's it for today?" he asked his tiny son who grabbed at his nose and leaned forwards latching his mouth onto the tip of it.

Booth chuckled and popped him up on his shoulder as he walked to the door. Brennan was standing in the bedroom door, supporting herself on the walking frame that she hated so much, watching Booth with their baby son.

"Yes. You were right." she said sullenly. Her face brightened when she saw her son in his father's arms start to wave his arms in her direction. "Are they both awake?" she asked. Booth smiled "Yes. And he just presented me with the loveliest gift. Didn't you Tiger?" he kissed the baby's cheek and walked over to Brennan, holding him out for her to kiss. She leaned over him and kissed his lips "Hello baby boy. How's Mommy's little man?" she asked. The baby stared solemnly up at her and blew bubbles. "Do you think they will ever smile at me like they do you Booth?" she asked sadly, tickling her son's cheek gently.

Booth felt like his heart was being squeezed too hard. He leaned in and kissed her. "Of course they will Bones. Don't forget, I had them to myself for three months while you were in hospital. They know who you are. Remember I told you I used to bring them in and lay them on your chest so they would get used to your heartbeat, and your smell and your feel. They know you are their Mom, honey" he said wrapping an arm around her and walking next to her as she shuffled to the nursery.

"I hate having to use this thing" she grumbled as she bumped the walker into the doorframe "and I hate my hair! It needs. Something" she reached up and pushed her fingers through her uneven, choppy hair. Booth sighed softly "I know, I'll take you to the hairdresser and get it fixed. And you're getting so much stronger. And the physiotherapist said you're doing way better than she expected. It won't be long and you'll be getting around under your own steam." He said encouragingly.

She stopped next to one of the cribs and leaned down and tickled the cheek of the baby laying there contentedly sucking on his thumb. She pulled his hand away from his mouth, but he quickly put his hand up to his mouth and started sucking on his thumb contentedly again. "I don't like him sucking his thumb Booth. Where is his pacifier?" she said frowning, looking around. Booth laughed "Good luck with that. He's a stubborn one. Just like his mother I suspect." He said jokingly. Brennan turned and looked at him a frown on her face, then she smiled. "You think he's like me?" she said. Booth nodded, "definitely" he replied. He put the baby he was holding back in his crib and walked over to the chest of drawers by the wall and retrieved a pacifier. "He won't keep it in. Trust me. I've tried everything. He just likes his thumb!" he explained as he pulled his son's thumb out of his mouth and popped the pacifier in as the baby opened his mouth to wail.

The baby sucked on the pacifier for about ten seconds, then, just as Booth had predicted, spat it out and popped his thumb straight back into his mouth and gurgled at his mother, smiling around his thumb, as his tongue tapped on the base of it, making a weird "goya goya goya" sound. Brennan laughed and shook her head. "I see what you mean" she said.

"So I was thinking, it's probably about time we named these little munchkins officially. Don't you?" Booth said. Brennan grinned "I thought you were set on Tiger and Buddy?". Booth laughed, "Well Tiger is pretty cute." he said. Brennan leaned into him "So what do you think?" she asked. Booth cleared his throat. "Well, we talked about it a bit before. Before." He said awkwardly, then continued "And I think we should go with Wyatt Seeley, for Gordon Gordon-Wyatt. I mean, he helped me and you a lot, and I really like the name." Brennan nodded "I love it, and he's named for you too." Booth grinned "and Max Henry. For your dad and Pops, cos Henry was actually Pops name. Hank is just a nickname." he said. He waited for her response. She turned and kissed him deeply "Perfect Booth. Max and Wyatt Booth. Perfect!"

"Right." Booth said suddenly rubbing his hands together. "Angela will be here any minute. I've got to get going as soon as she arrives. I'm due in court in an hour." he said. "I've fed them both and changed them. Christine is downstairs waiting to go to school. I better get moving or"

"Da-ad! Come on! I'm going to be late!" a voice came up the stairs. "And there we go" Booth said. "I'm in trouble again. Come on Bones. I'll help you downstairs." He scooped her up in his arms and kissed her mouth. "You're doing fantastic. You know that right?" he said as he carried her down the stairs. "Are you putting on weight" he added as he dropped her gently down onto the couch. She lashed out and smacked him on the behind as he stepped away, laughing.

"You are so lucky I can't chase you. But you just wait!" she said giggling. "I can't wait for that day Bones. I can't wait!" Booth grinned. Brennan stared at him solemnly "He's going to go to prison for a long time, right?" she asked suddenly. Booth turned around and came back to her and sat next to her, pulling her to him, his face pressed into her hair. "If I could drag him there and lock him up myself I would. Caroline and I are going to make sure he's not going to get out for a very long time babe. Trust me. He's going to regret the day he spoke to you." _and ruined our lives _ he thought to himself. He stood up and said, "Say goodbye to Mommy Christine. We will leave as soon as Aunty Angela pulls up" he said opening the front door. "And here she is!" he announced as Angela pulled into the driveway and parked her car next to Booth's.

"Sorry I'm late! Michael was being so naughty about going to school this morning. And I just wasn't feeling up to dealing with him today" she said. She stopped and stretched up and gave Booth a kiss on the cheek. "How is she?" she asked quietly. "Surprisingly, in good spirits" he replied, "You look terrible" he added, noting Angela's pale face. "Are you not well?" he asked. She shrugged "I don't know. I just felt yuck this morning. I'll be fine. OK, the babies?" she asked. Booth guided Christine out the door in front of him. "In their cribs, in the nursery. Fed, and changed. They will probably need a bath. And Brennan will probably want a shower too. I just ran out of time this morning" he said as he headed down the front path. "Thanks Ang. See you tonight!" he called.

Angela ran out to the front porch and called out "Booth? You're gonna get him, aren't you?" she asked. "Ang, have a little faith, OK? You know that he's going down for a very long time. Forever if I could. Promise. Have a good day with her. Don't get upset if she says something. You know." he hesitated.

"Mean? Thoughtless? Insulting?" Angela grinned. "Been there, done that Booth. I'll consider it a sign that she's getting better" she added. Booth smiled widely and gave her a mini salute with two fingers to his forehead. He got into the car, making sure that Christine was strapped in properly and tooted the car horn as he pulled away from the kerb.

* * *

Angela stood watching them for a minute, then took a deep breath. She turned and walked back inside, closing the front door behind her. She grinned at Brennan "so, what do you want to do first. Have breakfast? Or tell me all about your hot physiotherapist?" she asked. Brennan frowned, "Breakfast of course. And my physiotherapist is a woman." She said simply. Angela rolled her eyes "And here I was ready for a big sexy gossip session. You certainly know how to kill my imagination" she said as she walked into the kitchen laughing, taking in the cluttered sink with dishes from probably the last two nights. She knew that Booth was doing his very best. It had to be hard for him. Not only was he the main carer for his two baby sons, he was now caring for his wife too. "Poor guy" she thought to herself as she started stacking dishes into the dishwasher.

"Anything particular you want to eat Bren?" she called out. Brennan turned and looked towards the kitchen, are you stacking dishes?" she called back. Angela cringed "Just a couple of glasses and Booth's breakfast dishes. He told me he just ran out of time this morning. Nothing much." She covered. She didn't want Brennan to worry that the house was not being kept up to her exacting standards. Or to get Booth into trouble.

* * *

Booth sat in the dock. He had been sworn in and was glaring straight at the defendant. The man was nervous. He couldn't make eye contact with Booth. Booth scared him. He still had trouble with the two broken ribs from when Booth had thrown him to the ground and kneeled on him, pressing his full weight into his back. He had tried to use that against Booth when he was first arrested, however the officers were old buddies of Booth's and they knew damn well that Booth wasn't one to use brute force like that unless there was a damn good reason. And his pregnant wife, unconscious, on the pavement, because someone had shoved her over? Was an extremely good reason, as far as they were concerned. And they may or may not have caused him a little more pain than necessary while picking him up and dragging him to their squad car despite his protestations that he needed medical help from the paramedics that arrived to attend Brennan. He had been told that he might get to see a doctor at some point, but not to hold his breath. Of course he'd be hard pressed to prove it in a court of law.

The defendant's lawyer stepped before Booth and looked him square in the eye. This was going to be tough. He knew Booth and Brennan. He had worked with them in the past. He also knew that Booth was not going to be easy to intimidate, not that he had any great inclination to do so. He was court appointed to this scumbag and was simply going to do the minimum that the legal system called for him to do. He already knew his client was going down, and he really didn't feel like he wanted to stop it, no matter what his job description said.

"So, Mr Booth, please describe exactly what happened that day?" he said nodding to Booth.

Booth's eyes never broke contact with Jed Marks, the man that had changed his life. "We had just come out of the doctors. My wife and I were waiting for a cab with our six year old daughter when this fucking little prick" The judge looked down at him and coughed and said "Mr Booth, we understand you are upset, but, please refrain from making personally insulting comments about the defendant." he said calmly. Booth pushed down a smirk.

He cleared his throat "This person" he pointed directly at Jed "ran up to my wife and started screaming in her face. Accusing her of ruining his life, and causing him to lose his child. I tried to detain him, but he swung at me and connected with my cheek, causing me to lose my balance and fall over. He then turned back to my wife and shoved her. I wrestled him to the ground and held him down until the police arrived. By the time they arrived, my wife was unconscious on the ground. My daughter still has nightmares about it." Booth swallowed the lump in his throat. Reliving that day was hard for him. He still had feelings of guilt that he hadn't stopped him getting to Bones. "She sustained a fractured skull and bleeding on the brain, resulting in her being in a coma for almost two months. Our twins had to be delivered via c-section. She has been in rehab for about six weeks now, but progress has been slow. She's missed out on so much time with her babies because of that piece of shit." he held up a hand apologetically, as the lawyer opened his mouth to object.

"And you don't believe you antagonised the defendant?" the lawyer asked. "You didn't give him a reason to push your wife over? Perhaps you pushed him first?" he added, hating himself for having to ask. Booth shook his head and banged his hand on the dock "Are you kidding me? NO!" he yelled. The judge turned to Booth "Mr Booth. Please refrain from yelling in my court" he said tilting his head and making eye contact with Booth over his glasses. Booth knew what was happening. He was being told to cool it. He glanced over at Caroline who was frowning at him. _Oh boy, now I'm really in the shit_ he thought, looking down at his hands, now clasped in front of him.

Caroline stood up "I apologise for my client, Judge Williams. He's been under a lot of strain lately as you must understand. A good man, a top FBI Agent, now forced into semi retirement to care for his young daughter, newborn twins while his wife lay, unresponsive, in a coma. Caused, might I remind you, by the actions of that man sitting there." She turned and pointed straight at Jed, staring him down, the corner of her top lip curling up slightly in a sneer. Jed felt a shiver up his spine. He looked down at his shoes. They were dark brown, new, he thought. They were a bit tight. His lawyer had brought them for him to wear, along with a brown suit. He'd never owned a suit before. It was scratchy, he thought, tugging at the shirt collar.

"And now, also added to his strain, he is caring for his wife, who has been released from hospital recently. Helping her with her recovery. Seeley Booth is not the one on trial here. He is a loving, caring, loyal husband and father. And his reactions are surely understandable your honour?" she finished off nodding at Booth.

Jed's lawyer turned around and faced the judge and said, "nothing more your honour". Jed stood up as he walked back to the bench where they were sitting "That's it?" he said. "That's all you're gonna say? I thought you were _MY_ lawyer. I already spent ten years behind bars and lost my kid because of her. My ex took off and I've never seen my son since. I'm a victim here! If I didn't know better" His lawyer sat down and shuffled some papers on the desk, then turned and stared at his client "You'd what Jed? Hit me? Shove me over and put me in a coma?" Jed's mouth opened and closed like a fish, unable to say anything. "sit down Jed" he said to him, and turned back to face the judge.

* * *

Booth and Caroline stood on the steps outside the courthouse. Caroline was looking for her keys in her handbag, when she felt herself wrapped up in Booths arms. "What the hell do you think you're doing Cherie? You know I don't like all this mushy stuff." Booth grinned and kissed her firmly on the cheek. "I love you Caroline, you know that right. Hell I might just kiss you again!" he said as he planted his lips over hers. Caroline staggered backwards when he let go of her. She could feel her face burning and swore she could still feel his lips pressing on hers. "Are you crazy now? Kissing a state prosecutor on the lips. Well I never! Go home to your wife and kiss her Cherie. That's where your lips belong!" she said, her voice a bit more high pitched than usual.

Booth laughed out loud, feeling like the cloud that had been hanging over his head had finally blown away. "Thanks again Caroline. Thanks to you that guy won't be getting out for at least twenty years. And no parole. I can't believe you found all that other stuff on him! Wait till I tell Bones!" He all but skipped down the steps, turning to wave to Caroline before jumping in his car and heading home.

Caroline stood and watched him go. "Lordy I love that boy. If I was fifteen years younger and a foot taller and he wasn't married to a damned fine woman, damn if I wouldn't tap that." she thought as her fingers lingered over her lips where he had kissed her. She suddenly shook her head "Damn fool you are Caroline. Get your head back down on your shoulders where it belongs" she muttered and turned and walked back into the court house to finalise some paperwork.


	9. Chapter 9

"Twenty years?" Brennan exclaimed, "with no parole?" she asked. Booth grinned, his chest puffing out, taking a good deal of credit for the sentence.

Brennan frowned, "But surely he wouldn't have gotten such a long sentence just for assaulting me?" she asked. "And I wasn't even there to testify?" she said. Booth's chest deflated just a little. "Well, that's kind of true. But Caroline was amazing. She had the judge eating out of her hand. Citing your health issues as the reason you were unable to attend court. Plus. she had accumulated all this other evidence on him. He was a petty thief, he'd been done for breaking and entering, he had several counts of assault brought against him. Then there was the car theft, jewellery theft. and he'd only been out of prison less than six months!" Booth rattled off, counting on his fingers.

"OK, but still. They're fairly minor crimes. I know that my being at his trial and giving the anthropological evidence that tipped the judges decision to convict him and put him in jail the first time, was the catalyst for his attack, but still." she trailed off. Booth sat down next to her "Yes, I suppose you could say that, but you add it all up, and top it off with what he did to you. Caroline brought in the emotional distress to Christine" Brennan laughed "Really? She does realise that Christine is fine, right? I mean, I've asked her about it several times and she doesn't seem to be worried about it at all!"

Booth held her hand between his, lifting it to his lips. She didn't know about the daily therapy Christine had gone through with Sweets because she had been having nightmares every night after that day. She also had some issues with Booth not being completely emotionally available to her straight after the twin's birth. But that had all been sorted out and Christine was back to her usual self. Thankfully. Booth would tell Brennan at some point. But not yet. Right now, he just needed her to focus on her own recovery. "Not much rattles our little Chrissy. She's tough. Just like her Mom." he smiled as he kissed her fingertips. That wasn't exactly a lie. Not much did upset their daughter normally.

"And of course, add in the emotional stress that I was under, having to give up my job to care for the twins and Christine, and now you. And then Caroline pulled out her trump card. Bones, he tried to kidnap is own child during visitation eight weeks ago. The ex wife arrived and testified unexpectedly. He's going to be in big trouble when he gets behind bars." Booth added and frowned. "And he'll deserve everything he gets".

Brennan looked at him thoughtfully, nodding. "You never thought of hiring a nanny?" she asked him out of the blue. Booth's face reflected his surprise "Well, I. I mean. I didn't think. You would have been alright with a nanny looking after the boys?" he asked surprised. Brennan tilted her head and looked at him "I think, I would have actually. I can only imagine how much stress you must have been under. I am surprised that you took it all on yourself, and that you appear to have coped remarkably well. I love you for it of course. But I would have understood." she said.

Booth smiled and shook his head "Man, I had a big argument with Angela about that. She almost knocked me out!" he chuckled. "She told me I was a fool for doing everything myself. Running myself into the ground. I told her that you would have killed me if I had hired a stranger to look after your babies!" Brennan's eyes popped open and then she started laughing with him. "I suppose at some point I would have been a bit upset, in the beginning, but then the practical side of me definitely would have realised that it would have been the thing to do." she said. Booth shook his head and shuffled closer to her on the couch.

"So how was your day with Ang?" he asked. Brennan smiled brightly "It was good! Look!" she held out her hands to show him her brightly painted nails, then wiggled her bare feet up and down "And my toes!" Booth smiled to himself. Brennan hadn't ever really been one for manicures or pedicures, but he was glad that she seemed so happy. "Angela said it was Bedroom Eye Blue!" she announced as Booth stared at her bright blue nails. "They're. Bright." He commented, not really liking the electric blue polish, but loving that she had enjoyed her day.

"and" she said pointing at her head. Booth stared at her. "Please don't tell me you haven't noticed in all this time we've been talking!" she said, pretending to pout, pushing out her bottom lip and trying to look disappointed, but her eyes were sparkling, giving away her game. He frowned and leaned forwards, then backwards, looking at the back of her head. He grabbed her by the shoulder and made her turn left and right. "did you actually brush your hair today?" he said, biting on his bottom lip to stop himself from laughing.

Brennan smacked him on the leg and he feigned pain. "Hey! Not so rough. Your husband is worn out and feeling delicate from all the work he's been doing!" he sniggered.

"I've had it cut! Angela did it. She's evened up all the odd sections from where they shaved the back of my head. Then she trimmed the front bits around my face. Is it bad?" she suddenly asked her eyes widening. She had thought it looked quite good considering what her hair had looked like prior to Angela taking to it with the scissors. It had taken forever for the shaved section to grow back around the scar where they had operated. But it was long enough to cover the scar she would always bear, that area that would never grow hair again, which was about the size of her little finger across the back of her skull. "I mean, I know you love my hair long. But it has grown a lot lately" she was fiddling with the hair around her ears, pulling at it as if to make it seem longer.

Booth grabbed at her hands "It looks great. She did a good job" he assured her. Brennan turned around and ran her hand over the back section "Can you see the scar?" she asked him. "Be honest. Ang told me nobody would notice, but I know what she's like. She would tell me anything if she thought it would stop me worrying, which of course I am". Booth could only just see one end of the scar. There was no point lying. At some point she'd get hold of a mirror and check for herself. "I can only just see a tiny bit of one end of the scar. In a week or so your hair will cover it completely. Don't worry honey. And your hair really does look good. Give it a month and I'll take you to your hair stylist and you can have her fix it properly.

Brennan smiled her hands again on the top of her head, feeling the part "I really could use a colour. I found ten grey hairs Booth! Ten!" she exclaimed, bending her head down for him to look "See them?" she asked him. Booth squinted. He actually couldn't see anything, and he wasn't really sure what the right answer was going to be. "I'm sure your stylist will be able to sort out a nice colour for you" he said, hoping he had evaded that pool of quicksand, but no. "so you _can_ see them?" she asked, sitting back up straight. Booth leaned in and kissed her mouth, then her cheek, then her forehead and back to her mouth. "I don't care about a few grey hairs. Have you looked at my hair lately? And don't even talk about my beard. I'm practically silver! You have nothing to worry about Bones. Nothing" he said kissing her again. Her response was eager. He felt a stirring in the pit of his belly that he had missed.

"You know, the twins are still asleep, and we have an hour before Christine will be home" he said suddenly, feeling his desire rising. They hadn't really been intimate since she came home from hospital. He missed her. Missed the feel of her body, under his. Missed how silky her skin felt under his hands. The more he thought about it, the more aroused he became. Brennan leaned in to him, returning his kisses. "The doctor did say we could try as soon as I felt ready" she murmured against his neck. "Are you feeling ready?" he asked as his mouth trailed hot kisses down her neck, onto her shoulder, as he pulled her top aside. "I actually think I might be" she responded breathily as his mouth pressed against the top of her breasts.

"Right" Booth said as he pulled away from her and stood up. He reached down and scooped her up from the couch, making her squeak with excitement. He all but bounded up the stairs, stopping half way to catch his breath. "Booth, are you alright?" she asked worriedly. "Damn straight I am!" he exclaimed and took the remaining stairs quickly. He kicked open the bedroom door and practically fell onto the bed with her under him, making Brennan laugh out loud.

"You have no idea how much I've thought about this moment Bones" he panted as he pulled his shirt over his head without unbuttoning it, the top two buttons popping and flying across the room. "Booth! your new shirt!" she squealed as he reached down and quickly hooked his fingers into the waistband of her cotton pull on trousers and wrenched them down her thighs making her giggle with expectation. He undid his fly and pushed his pants to the floor, pulling one foot, then the other out of the legs, using his toes to push on the back of his shoes as he pulled his feet from them.

Brennan sat up and undid the top buttons of her top and pulled it over her head, then grabbed hold of the bottom band of her bra and rather than undoing it, simply pulled it upwards and over her head, releasing her breasts and throwing it at Booth, who actually managed to catch it in his teeth. He growled as he pushed his boxers to the floor and stepped towards the bed, dropping the bra from his mouth and kicking his underpants off his foot as he climbed up onto the bed and straddled her, his eyes devouring every inch of her. Her eyes, the brightest blue. Her lips, pink and lush. Her breasts, full, round peaked with large pale nipples. Her stomach, round, soft. Brennan shuffled backwards on the bed as he cupped her buttocks and hooked his fingers into her underpants and pulled them down to her knees, then used his own foot to push them the rest of the way down.

His mouth crashed into hers, his tongue hot and wet, slipping across hers. One hand supporting his weight as the other cupped and kneaded her breast, his fingertips finding and rolling her nipple between them making her moan loudly into his mouth. Her hands were around his shoulders, pulling him down towards her. "Bones" he panted "I'm too heavy" Only to be met with her hands grasping at him even harder forcing his chest down to meet hers, her hands sliding down to the small of his back pulling him so that she could feel him, hard against her. The feel of her skin, rubbing against him, inflaming his desire even further. He tried to pull his hips up, but she pulled him hard against her, writhing under him her soft pubic hair grazing his genitals.

"Oh God, Bones. I'm. This is. I'm not gonna be able to" Brennan smiled and guided him into her. He slid quickly into her, wet and warm, and welcoming. He groaned as he gently began to slide in and out, quickening with each thrust, her legs, not strong enough to wrap around his back as they used to, pressing on either side of him, encouraging him to keep going. Her hands now gripping at his backside, pulling him into her harder and faster, his rhythm constantly building. His elbows were pressed into the mattress, either side of her body, holding the bulk of his weight off of her, but allowing her to look down the length of her body and watch him thrusting against her. Into her.

"Booth" she gasped, dragging her eyes away from his groin and staring up into his eyes. Dark, almost black, his pupils dilated. His mouth open, he was gasping "I can't. I'm sorry" She closed her eyes and felt him begin to shudder, his groin grinding hard against her as he unloaded months of frustration and desperation deep into her. The sensation was enough to pull her to the brink and she joined him, rocking her hips, clenching him deep inside, her head thrown back. He dropped his head, licking and dropping hot wet kisses on her neck, throat and collar bones. "God Bones" he gasped as he rolled them both onto their sides, still conjoined, her top leg now hooked over his hip to keep him from sliding from her. She wanted him inside her as long as she could. She had missed him. Missed the warmth, and weight of him, on her. Inside her. She opened her eyes and stared at his face. His eyes were closed, he licked his lips and smiled, unaware she was watching him. She closed her own eyes and pressed her face against the base of this throat, feeling his pulse against her lips. A deep rumbling murmur came from his throat. A sound, of pure contentment.

She pulled back and looked up into his face. This time his eyes were open. He was grinning, his eyes were warm. Happy. "Good?" he asked softly. "so good" she smiled back at him. "Christine will be here soon I suppose" she said. Booth hugged her to him. "I don't want to let you go" he said. Brennan laughed "I'm not going anywhere. I just don't think I want our daughter to find us stark naked on our bed in a post coital haze!" she giggled. Booth sighed, he had finally slid from her, he rolled onto his back, his head turned, looking across at her, one hand resting on his chest, the other still tucked under her neck. "good point" he said smirking.

"You're OK?" he asked. Brennan smiled and sat up, leaning over him, kissing him one more time. "More than OK." she said. "at least we know that part of me still works the way it used to!" she laughed. Booth chuckled and stood up, helping her to her feet and supporting her as they walked to the bathroom to clean up before their daughter came barrelling through the house like a cyclone.

* * *

Booth had no sooner settled Brennan on the couch, when the door opened and Christine came into the living room, full steam as per usual, waving a piece of paper in the air. "I got a gold star for my story!" she yelled excitedly. At that very moment, a wailing came through the baby monitor. "that's my cue" Booth said "It's like they know when she's home!" he added. "Give me a minute Christine. I'm going to get your brothers. Then you can tell us all about your story. In fact, can you come and help me? You can carry Wyatt down to Mommy for me, and she can feed him, and you can tell us about your story while I feed Max.

Christine stood in the middle of the living room, Booth and Brennan side by side on the couch, bottle feeding their sons.

_"My Daddy._

_My Daddy is Seeley Joseph Booth. He's is a worker in the FBI. He catches bad people and puts them into jail for a long time so they can't do bad things to people any more. One day my Mommy got real sick and my Daddy had to leave his work to look after me and my baby brothers Max and Wyatt._

_He visited my Mommy every day so my brothers could meet her. She was asleep all the time though. But Daddy still talked to her and I talked to her and showed her my school work so she would know I was being good. _

_My Daddy isn't very good at washing dishes but he is good at cooking things for me. He is also good at changing nappies and making baby milk, cos my Mommy couldn't feed the babies._

_My Mommy woke up one day, and she is home now. She walks funny still and her hair is all short, but Daddy tells her he loves her every day and that she is the most beautiful girl in the world. He says I am the second most beautiful girl in the world. He helps her learn to walk again and she is getting good at it now._

_I love my Daddy. He is the best Daddy in the whole world. _

_The End._

_By Christine Angela Booth_

_6 years old (nearly 7)"_

Booth swallowed the lump in his throat and used the baby bib to wipe his eyes. He couldn't speak. Brennan reached out and threaded a hand through his hair and pulled his head to hers. Christine came and wriggled her way onto the couch, and sat squashed between them and her baby brothers.

"I wish someone was here to take a photo right now" Christine said brightly.

Brennan smiled, thinking to herself,

_I don't need a photo. I have this moment saved in my head and in my heart_

At that moment Max burped loudly. Wyatt however, farted, and of course they all began laughing.

_And it's the best picture I could ever have of us._


	10. Chapter 10

Wyatt squealed loudly as Brennan buried her face in his tummy and blew raspberries into his belly button. She then leaned across to Max and did the same, making him giggle and wave his chubby arms and legs. His little hands reaching up and grabbing at her hair, tangling in her chin length auburn curls. "Ooh Maxy, you'll pull out Mommy's hair if you tug that hard. And it's taken me too long to grow it to this length!" she laughed as she untangled her son's fingers from her hair. She straightened up and stood staring at her two miracles, one hand on each of her chubby babies' tummies as they lay on the thick sheepskin rug they had in the middle of the living room floor.

_I missed so much with them_ she thought, remembering the two months she was in a coma and the month she was in hospital recovering after waking up. She had been worried that her babies wouldn't bond with her properly. Booth of course had assured her that she was worrying about nothing. She knew he had brought the boys to the hospital every day and lay them on her chest, wrapping her arms around them so that they got used to her. Booth knew that she would worry about not being there for them at the beginning, and he wanted to do as much as he could to make sure that their sons knew their mother.

Booth had really baby & Bones proofed the house over the last couple of weeks, to keep the twins safe, and to help Brennan move around the house more easily. They had quickly realised that rugs were her enemy. She was walking much better now and her only problem today, was right at this moment, right now. _How to get back up onto her feet?_ Booth kept telling her not to get down on the floor with the twins, but she never listened. She was in her element, down on the floor, lying with them, playing with them, watching them on their bellies, trying to crawl. Wyatt was definitely the more confident and outgoing one. He was the loudest too. He was already commando crawling around the floor on his belly, using his strong little legs to propel himself forwards. Max was quieter, more thoughtful, and more content to just lie on his rug and snuggle with his Mama. He had showed no real interest in getting mobile, unlike his active brother.

_Six months since I came home_ she thought to herself as she kneeled in front of the couch. She hauled herself onto it and turned around, so she was sitting, facing the boys. Max had hold of a teething ring and was chewing contentedly on it, while Wyatt was trying to crawl across the top of him to get to a soft ball that he had spied. Nothing ever stopped Wyatt getting to what he wanted. _Just like his Dad_ she thought to herself smiling as he crawled right over the top of Max's tummy to reach his hearts desire. Max didn't even react, just kept on chewing his teething ring, while reaching out with one hand to stroke his brothers back as he climbed over him.

"I guess we now know who was doing all the kicking while you were inside me" she said, smiling as Wyatt reached his goal, flipping over onto his back, ball in hand while his feet rested on Max's tummy. They were never more than a few feet apart, most of the time they were close enough to be touching, just like now. It was like their time in the womb together made them feel content while they were in contact with each other. Sometimes when they were in their own cribs, crying, all Booth had to do was put one in the crib with the other and they would immediately settle.

Booth said that they would have to buy them a double bed and just let them sleep together as they were soon going to be too big for their cribs. Brennan just rolled her eyes. She assured him they would grow out of this and there was no way that they would be sleeping in the same bed when they were older. Booth of course was joking, but she always took the bait.

_More than seven months since I woke up_ her mind wandered. Time was flying by. The twins were nine months old now. _Nine months! I wonder if they remember anything? I wonder if they even knew that I wasn't even awake for the first two months of their lives?_ She pondered, then screwed up her face _Don't be ridiculous Temperance. Of course they don't remember_. She stood up and walked to the kitchen with just the faintest hint of a limp. She hated that limp. The doctors told her that she may have it for the rest of her life. She refused to be that remembered as that once brilliant anthropologist with the limp. She gritted her teeth and challenged herself to take ten steps without limping. She took five. _Better than yesterday!_ She smiled. She was nothing if not stubbornly determined to prove them all wrong.

* * *

The doorbell rang. Brennan put down the jug of juice she was pouring and made her way to the door. The doorbell rang again. Then again. "Oh for goodness sake! I'm coming!" she growled loudly. It rang again just as she pulled the door open. She was met with the grinning face of her father. "Dad! I thought you weren't coming until next week?" she said as he wrapped her up in a hug. She smiled as he rocked her from side to side "Hiya Tempe. I thought, what did it matter if I came a week earlier? I mean, I didn't have anything else to do. You got other plans?" he asked releasing her from his hug. He stood staring at her. She looked much better than last time he had come to visit.

It was about three weeks after she had come home from hospital. Booth had rung him and asked if he could spare a week to help him settle her into being home. With Christine, and the twins, Booth was feeling a little overwhelmed. Max had suggested he hire a nurse or a nanny, but Booth declined. He told Max that Brennan would not do that if their positions had been reversed. She would have managed just fine. And he wanted to do the same. It was his family, his responsibility. Plus he wanted to do it himself. Max had thought he was taking on too much, but he also knew Booth was stubborn, and he didn't want to get him offside. Together they made sure that she was settled into her home.

Max did the school run and helped out with the babies. Bathing them, feeding them when things were busy. He had enjoyed it immensely. Being able to be part of Tempy's life. His grandchildren's lives. There was a time when he never thought he'd even see her again. But, that had changed and although their initial reunion was not exactly comfortable, things had worked out. He got to know his daughter again. Got to watch her blossom under Booth's care. Got to hold his first grandchild. Got to walk her down the aisle and now he was able to repay her for all that joy he had received.

"Of course I don't have any other plans Dad! I'm just surprised. Come in!" she stood aside as he picked up his ratty old leather carryall and stepped past her. "How are the kids? And Booth?" he asked as he dropped his bag onto the couch and looked down at the twins lying on a thick sheepskin rug. He noted that their plush Persian rugs were missing and that some of the small end tables were gone. "How are you doing?" he asked turning and looking at her. She tucked a stray curl behind her ear and smiled "Christine is at school. The twins are fine as you can see. And Booth is great. He's gone back to work finally. He really needed to. He's working half days right now, but he thinks that he might start doing full days in a couple of weeks. He actually seems more relaxed since he went back to work." She said smiling as her father got down onto the floor and tickled his grandson's tummies.

"That's great honey" he said. "Now how are my boys? Look at how big you got!" He frowned and looked from one to the other, then up at Brennan "uh, honey? How do you know which one is which?" he asked, picking up one of the twins and holding him up at eye level.

Brennan laughed out loud "Well, it is difficult. But Wyatt is slightly bigger and his hair is curlier". Max frowned and stared at the baby in front of him, then looked down at his brother on the rug, happily playing with a ball. He couldn't see any difference in their hair. "And Wyatt also has darker brown eyes than Max does. Max's are more grey brown I suppose you'd say. Wyatt's eyes are exactly like Booths." she finished off her explanation "You're holding Max". She could see her father looking backwards and forwards between the boys, frowning. "Can you dress them in certain colours or something while I'm here? I'm not sure if I'm gonna remember all that." he said putting his grandson back onto the rug.

Brennan watched her dad cringe as he used the couch to help himself stand up. "Boy, that's a long way down there" he said, pushing his hands into the small of his back and grimacing.

"Are you OK Dad?" she asked, concerned. Max waved away her question "Honey, I'm fine. I'm just old. And getting down onto the ground isn't as easy as it used to be. You haven't answered my question yet. How are you?" he asked sitting down on the couch and patting the seat next to him. Brennan sat down next to her father, she linked her arm through his and sighed "I'm actually good Dad. I'm better now you're here." She leaned into his shoulder. Max smiled to himself and patted his daughters hand. "How good is good. Exactly?" he asked. He knew what his girl was like. She was very good at dancing around details.

Brennan closed her eyes "I'm doing exceptionally well according to my physical therapist. I have no brain function issues. I do have a black spot in my memory, obviously from when I was in the coma, but that's normal and I have been talking to a therapist about that. I have a limp which I am determined to get rid of, and other than that I'm pretty much back to my old self! Of course you'll no doubt ask Booth all about me when he gets home." She grinned and squeezed Max's arm.

Wyatt began to fuss and shuffled across the floor to Brennan's feet. She bent down and lifted him up onto her lap, grunting a little. "You're getting too big Wyatt!" she buried her face in his hair and kissed him. Max saw that his brother was getting attention from Mommy and started to wail. His arms and legs waving around. "He just lays there and cries?" Max asked her. Brennan smiled "Our Max isn't the most active of babies. He knows that if he cries enough, one of us will just pick him up. Booth has been trying to encourage him to crawl, but he's just not interested." she said.

Max shrugged and stood up, he bent down and picked up baby Max and stared into his eyes. "You know exactly what you're doing, don't you little man?" he asked his grandson who gurgled and blew bubbles as he reached out and grabbed hold of Max's ears. "So young Max. What do you want?" he asked the baby who snuggled into his neck.

"He just wants attention. Like most men" Brennan chuckled. "Just stay there Dad, just like that" she said suddenly. She walked over to the bureau and opened the top drawer, pulling out a camera. She hitched Wyatt higher up on her hip and using one hand, held up the camera and took a photo of her father with the baby named for him. "There. Two generations of Max's." she said holding the camera out for Max to see the picture.

"Don't you think we'll get confused about which Max you mean when you call out Max?" he asked. Brennan frowned "Not at all. I call you Dad. Booth calls you" she frowned "Booth calls you Max. I see what you mean." She shook her head "It doesn't matter. We call him Maxie most of the time. And it's not like you're here all the time. I'm pretty sure you'll know when we are talking to you, and when we are talking to him." she said. Max grinned and kissed his grandsons head "So Maxie, looking forward to spending time with your Grandpa Max?"

Max gurgled and smiled widely at his grandfather. "Yeah, we're gonna have a good couple of weeks aren't we buddy?" Max kissed his grandsons cheek and grinned at his daughter.

"It's good to be here Tempe" he said. Brennan walked over and hugged her father with one arm, "It's good to have you here Dad"

Wyatt reached out and grabbed hold of his brother as if to hug him, making both Brennan and Max laugh out loud.

"Yeah, it's good to be here" Max said again hugging his family tightly.


	11. Chapter 11

The sun was starting to drop low over the horizon. The air was dry and warm, but it was pleasant out on the patio thanks to a cool breeze that had sprung up. The shade from the large veranda had crept across them. Booth and Max were sitting in the high backed patio chairs, each holding one of the twins, feeding them their afternoon bottle. The boys were almost completely weaned off bottle feeding.

Brennan had been gradually introducing solids into their diets for the last two months as she believed it was better for them in the long run. She spouted to Booth how research was beginning to show that babies introduced to solid foods early were found to be less likely to have food allergies. It was still being researched, but Brennan had decided that it was a good theory and had begun weaning the boys just after they turned seven months old.

She, occasionally had regrets that she had not been able to breast feed the twins, but she also knew that she probably would have supplement fed them anyway, being two of them. They only had three half bottles a day now. One in the morning after their breakfast, one mid afternoon, before their naps and one at bedtime. It was Booth's favourite time when he got home. Being able to hold and cuddle his sons. It was the best thing in the world.

He had returned to work and didn't get to spend as much time with his son's as he had when they were first born and he was their sole carer. He missed them to be honest. He thought that he would be happy going back to work, but he soon realised that he really had enjoyed being home looking after his family. He had started coming home around 3pm every day so that he could help with the afternoon and dinner rush. Bones was usually a bit tired by that time of day. She had improved greatly and she had agreed that she was probably at about ninety five percent recovered now. She acknowledged that she got tired by the middle of the afternoon on some days, and appreciated Booth being there to help with bathing and dinner time.

He had broached the subject of a nanny, or a housekeeper to help with the children and meals in the evening, but Brennan had become quite indignant. She wouldn't hear of it. She wanted to do it all herself. Insisted upon it. Booth knew that she was hiding, or trying to hide how tired she was, so he arranged with Caroline to work less hours, at least for the next six months. She had been so good to him and Bones. Making allowances for him. Keeping him on short, easy cases. He missed the thrill of the chase and the meatier cases, but he also knew that he wasn't going to be able to commit his time to them, so he accepted her offer happily.

* * *

Booth sighed heavily and stared into the dark brown eyes of his son, Wyatt. It felt like the weight of the world lifted from his shoulders. His chubby little hands were wrapped around the bottle, basically holding it himself. He didn't need Booth to help, but Booth loved doing it. Plus Wyatt had a bad habit of continuing to suck on the teat after the milk had run out. The baby smiled around the teat at his father, making Booth grin widely. He let go of the bottle and tickled Wyatt's chin, making him chuckle.

Baby Max turned and watched his brother giggling, and began to giggle too, reaching out for his twin. Grandpa Max gave up trying to get Max to finish his bottle. "Aww Maxie, come on. You're making it difficult for your old grandpa here" he grumbled. Booth smiled "Don't worry Dad, it's not like he needs the bottle. It's just something to help settle them for a nap." He looked down at Wyatt who was now wriggling and reaching towards his brother "although I doubt either of them are going to have their afternoon nap now. We just won't tell Temperance, deal?" he winked at Max who sat his grandson down on the rug that Booth had put down on the patio tiles, with Wyatt.

The babies sat facing each other. They were like a mirror image. "I still don't know how you tell them apart sometimes" Max commented. Booth laughed out loud "Between you and me, sometimes I call them the wrong name. Then I see their eyes, and I realise" he shook his head chuckling. I don't know what we would have done if they had the exact same colour eyes. It's the only difference between them, and really, you only see it when they are together. Look" he pulled the back of Wyatt's top out from his neck and showed Max a W sewn into the inside label. "Maxie has an M in all of his clothes. We have to make sure when we dress them, that they're in the right clothes or else I get them mixed up. Drives Bones crazy." he chuckled.

Max laughed and watched as Booth placed a large play bench between them. It had a variety of activities on it. A bell, that rang when you pushed a big blue button. A whistle, that was activated by pulling on a lever. A mirror, that spun around. A happy tune, that played when a rubber ball was squeezed. Wyatt of course was quite adept at all the activities, while Max just sat watching, and smiled and giggled as his brother made the music play, or the mirror spin.

"Do you ever think that Maxie is. Well. Kind of, a bit behind his brother?" Max asked Booth suddenly. Booth frowned at Max. "What do you mean?" he said, slightly annoyed at his father in law's inference that there was something wrong with his son. "I don't mean anything bad. I just mean. Well, Wyatt seems a lot more advanced than Max." he tried to backpedal away from offending Booth. Booth leaned in and pick up Wyatt, who yelled his objections. Baby Max immediately spun the mirror and pulled the lever making the whistle blow. Booth smirked at Max and put Wyatt back down on the floor.

Max held up his hands "OK. I'm proven to not know what I'm talking about." he admitted. Booth shook his head "It's OK. Wyatt is just very outgoing and likes to get in there. Maxie loves to be entertained by his brother and Wyatt has no problem doing things for him. They've been this way since they were born. Wyatt was the loud one, the one that kicked and screamed. The one that finished his bottle in record time. The one that rolled over first, sat up first, crawled first. He's the leader. Maxie is the follower I guess. But Maxie can do everything his brother can. He just chooses when to and when to let Wyatt do it for him."

The two men leaned back in their chairs. Booth reached down into the small cooler he had next to his chair and pulled out two beers. He handed one to Max. They opened them and Max held his out to Booth, who clinked his bottle against Max's. "Cheers. And thanks for having me for the last two weeks. I know it threw your routine out, me coming early. But, to be honest. I get kind of lonely and I miss you guys, you know?" Booth nodded. "Temperance has loved it. We all have. Christine especially loved you going to her show and tell day. And it's been great for the boys to spend some time with their Grandpa Max. We're gonna miss you" he added, knowing that Max was heading off tomorrow afternoon.

Max smiled and took a long draught of the cold beer, leaned back and closed his eyes. "mmm-hmmm. You can't beat a cold beer on a hot day, can you son?" he said sleepily. Booth leaned back in his chair, keeping his eye on his sons. "True that" he said, leaning down and untangling Max's fingers from Wyatts hair. "No honey. No hair pulling" he said softly. He leaned back in his chair and became aware of Max's soft snore. He carefully pulled the beer bottle from his father in laws hand and put it back in the cooler. He smiled and watched his boys. Suddenly Max flipped around onto his stomach, pulling up his knees and crawled off the rug. Booth's mouth dropped open. Max! You're crawling!"

Grandpa Max's eyes flew open "wha! Huh? I swear I didn't touch her!" he mumbled. Booth slapped at his arm "Max! Maxie is crawling! Quick. Where's my phone?" he fumbled in his pants pocket and pulled out his phone and started recording his son as he crawled across the tiles towards the large ceramic pot that held a soft miniature palm. He reached up, grabbed hold of the rim and pulled himself up and stood next to the pot and looked around at his father and grinned widely. "Maxie! You did it!" Booth laughed. He held out his hands and Max took three wobbly steps towards him then plopped down onto his bottom and laughed, then started crying.

Booth jumped up and picked up his son and smothered his face with kisses "That's my boy!" he laughed proudly. "Did you see that Grandpa? Maxi actually tried to walk! He did something before Wyatt!" Max was still mumbling about some inappropriate touching of someone called Brandy. Booth was jigging Maxie up and down "That's my big boy!" he praised him again and kissed his chubby cheeks again, making the baby chuckle loudly. "Wait till I show your mommy!" he said, watching the video on his phone again.

Max finally stood up and wiped his face. "What did I miss?" he asked groggily. Booth held up the phone for him to see. "Well hot damn! The little fella tried to walk!" Max said. He held out his arms and Maxie reached out for his grandpa. "You clever little man! You're mommy is gonna be so proud of you!" Max praised him. Booth bent down and picked up Wyatt, looking at his watch. "Speaking of which. Bones will be home soon. I better get dinner on!" he said, bending over and picking up the rug and heading inside. Max followed carrying his namesake and pulled the door closed behind him.

* * *

Brennan had gone to pick up Christine from school. She had been given the all clear and had been driving for about a week now, and had convinced Booth that it was time for her to start being a proper Mom again. And the school run was a good way to start. Booth hadn't really wanted her to drive so soon. But, she pointed out that that was just him being over protective, something she often accused him of. He knew that this was a big part of her rehabilitation, more mental than physical. He knew that she was quite capable of doing it. But it was hard for him to let her go. He had been looking after her for months. He liked it. Loved it actually. It made him feel important. Which was stupid really. They had fought. She had yelled at him about controlling her. Over protecting her. Smothering her progress.

He had been hurt at first. But then he thought about it, and over a few beers and a conversation with his friend, Aldo, at the bar he frequented, he had realised that he had to let her try. Aldo talked to him about love and commitment and marriage, and how he had been the rock for the family for such a long time. He made him understand that just because he let her start to do things for herself, carry and share the load, didn't mean Booth wasn't being less of a husband and father. It just meant that he was allowing her to be his partner again. Be her own person. Be his wife, his lover, his best friend and not his patient. That it was a good thing for them as a couple.

Booth and Max put the boys in their play pen in the living room and Booth dropped a couple of their favourite toys in with them and went into the kitchen to start dinner. Max sat down on the couch and turned on the TV to watch the afternoon news.

* * *

The front door opened and Christine came whirling in, as per usual. She dropped her school bag by the door and ran towards her grandfather, whom she adored. "Christine! Take your bag to your room!" Booth called out from the kitchen. Christine wrapped her arms around her grandfathers neck and kissed his cheek "Grandpa Max! I had the best day at school! I played on the climbing frame with Marcus and he fell and broke his arm and the ambulance came and the sirens were going. He was crying so bad, snot was running down his face and into his mouth. It was so gross!" she rattled on, telling her grandfather about her day.

Brennan came in and walked into the kitchen. Booth was standing chopping cucumbers for a salad. He hadn't heard her come in. She sneaked up behind him and just as he put the knife down she grabbed him on the butt. He jumped and turned around, grinning when he saw his gorgeous wife smiling at him. He wrapped his arms around her and kissed her deeply. She closed her eyes and let her body melt into his. He allowed a small growl escape into her mouth. She reached down and grabbed his behind again, making him laugh. "You're evil. You know that don't you?" he said, pulling back from her.

Brennan laughed and nodded "I know". He dropped a kiss onto the tip of her nose and turned back to his salad making. "How did you go?" then cringed. She hated it when he interrogated her after driving. She usually told him off, but today she just wrapped her arms around his body and leaned into his back "It was good. Although" she hesitated. Booth closed his eyes and picked up a tomato and began chopping, waiting for her to continue. "I had a teensy bit of a mishap" she finished. He flinched, but kept on chopping the salad vegetables "How teensy?" he asked as casually as he could.

"We came home in a taxi, teensy" she said stepping back from him. Booth flinched and closed his eyes, his face screwing up. "a taxi?" his voice hitting a higher pitch then he had hoped. He coughed "You came home in a taxi?" he repeated, his voice deeper.

He turned around, knife in hand. Brennan stood her eyes wide, her lips pressed together, nose screwed up "can you put the knife down Booth?" she asked. He turned and gently placed the knife on the counter then turned back to face his wife. She held up both hands, palms facing him "Now, don't get mad. I had a small incident. The car is a little dented. The stop sign, not so good." She shrugged her shoulders, dropping her hands to her sides.

Booth took a deep breath and let it go slowly. "so, let me get this straight. You hit a stop sign. And caught a taxi home?" he repeated nodding at her. Brennan shrugged again "yes?" she said softly. "But it wasn't my fault Booth. I was driving carefully. Christine was in the back seat and she undid her seatbelt to pick up her book and I turned around to tell her to get back into her seat and when I turned around. Well. I guess I didn't see the stop sign until it hit me." she said looking at the floor.

"Until it hit you?" Booth repeated. Brennan simply nodded. "The police officer was really nice though. He told me that the car would be towed and I would have to collect it from" Booth held up a hand and closed his eyes "Yeah. I know where it is" he said and sighed. "Was it badly damaged Bones?" he asked. She shook her head "I think I broke a headlight and maybe dented the bumper, but other than that, it's not too bad. I have to pay for the damage to the stop sign too. Although why they put them so close to the kerb is beyond me!" she added. Booth took a deep breath and grabbed her and hugged her, leaning his chin on the top of her head. "As long as you and Christine are OK. The rest doesn't matter. I'll go get the car tomorrow. Don't worry. You're sure you're OK?" he asked again, holding her back from him so he could see her.

She stared at him and dropped her bottom lip "I'm sorry Booth" she said. He pulled her back to him and hugged her tight. He wanted to tell her that she couldn't drive any more. That she should catch cabs everywhere. Or leave it to him to do the school run. But he couldn't. Wouldn't. This was all part and parcel of her being her own person again. And, as much as it scared him. Freaked him out to be honest. He knew that he had to just let her go and trust her. And clean up her little messes if and when they happened. In this case, nobody was hurt. And that was the main thing.

* * *

"Christine Angela Booth!" he strode into the living room. Christine spun around and stared at her father. "You took your seat belt off in the car while Mommy was driving?" he asked her, staring her in the eye. She swallowed "yes" she said in a small voice "but I dropped my book!" she added. Booth walked up to her and picked her up and held her at eye level. "Do you even realise that you could have gotten you and your mother hurt? What if she had driven through that intersection? What have I told you a thousand times Christine? You're seven years old. You have to keep your seat belt on at all times. I don't care about your book. I don't care. What I care about is you and your Mommy being safe."

Christine was cringing. She hated it when her father got mad at her. Usually she could divert his attention away "A boy fell off the climbing frame at school and broke" she started to tell him. "I don't care Christine. I'm mad right now, and I don't want to hear your story. Go to your room. Right now" he said and put her down and turned away from her. Brennan stared at their daughter's crestfallen face "Booth" she started to say "No Bones. Not this time. This was not just a little mishap. This could have gone so wrong. And I'm really mad right now. So just stay out of it. Christine? Room." He finished, pointing at the stairs.

His daughter started crying and ran from the room and up the stairs. Max sat silently watching Booth's face. It hurt Booth to be tough on his daughter. He knew exactly how he felt. He'd been there. Russ had crashed his car once. He had only had his full licence for a week. He had been showing off for his friends. It could have ended so much worse. Thankfully it hadn't. But Max had been so angry. It took everything in him not to give his son a beating. He was on Booth's side this time. So he simply sat and turned his attention back to the twins who were lying together in their playpen oblivious to the disharmony around them.

Brennan edged towards Booth and gently squeezed his arm "We're fine Booth." she whispered. Booth turned and looked down at her. "I know. But Bones? She has to learn. She's headstrong and has this attitude."

"She's like you" they said at the same time.

Max started to chuckle under his breath, covering his mouth with his hand to stop from laughing out loud.

* * *

Booth stared at Brennan, who stared back at him. His mouth twitched on one corner. Brennan smirked and looked him in the eye, then grinned, showing her teeth. Booth's eyes crinkled in the corners, unable to stop himself from laughing. He grabbed her and hugged her tightly to him.

Max let himself chortle out loud "Oh you two. That girl is a little tornado. She's got the best and worst of both of you. And she's gonna be strongwilled and stubborn at times, and you both know that in life, that's not a bad thing. But, she's only seven years old. You got a long way to go. Just be happy that nothing serious happened. But I have to say, I agree with Booth on this one Tempy. Christine needs to spend a little time in her room to think about what just happened" he said standing up. Now, if you don't mind, I'm gonna go throw those steaks on the grill. I'm kinda hungry" he said.

Booth stood, his arm around Brennan's shoulder "You sure you can handle it?" unwilling to accept that anyone could use his grill as well as him. Max snorted "Boy, I was grilling steaks while you were still in short pants. Don't be stupid. I'll be out on the patio when you two finish smooching" he said as he picked up a tray of steaks from the kitchen bench and walked past them.

Booth looked down at Brennan "You're sure you're OK?" She nodded "I'm really sorry about the car Booth. I was going to just back it up and drive home, but the police officer was down the street and saw it happen" Booth rolled his eyes at her admission of wanting to leave the scene of an accident, but decided to let it go. It had ended up being alright. Except for the bit about getting their car out of the impound lot. But, he had a contact there. He'd ring them tomorrow first thing.

"Let's go watch your Dad cremate dinner" he said bending and kissing her on the lips softly. Brennan laughed "Just because you don't think anyone can grill as well as you" kissing him again. "Damn straight" Booth replied.

Brennan nodded and looked into the playpen at her sleeping boys. They looked so peaceful. Blissfully unaware of what had been going on. "How were they this afternoon? Have they been asleep for long?" Booth hesitated, wondering how to tell her that they actually missed their nap time and had only just nodded off.

"Ooh! I've got something to show you!" Booth announced waving his phone in front of her, diverting her attention from the question.

"What?" she asked.

"A surprise" he replied.

"What is it?"

"You'll see in a minute"

"Tell me Booth"

"Nope, you'll see when we go outside and sit down. It's really cool. You'll love it."

"Booth!"

"yes Bones?"

"You're so annoying sometimes"

"I know"


	12. Chapter 12

**A/N: Please note, this chapter needs to be rated M as the content got away from me... Please be aware that it is not for underage readers.**

* * *

Booth looked around the room, checking that there was nothing out of place. Bones was dropping the twins and Christine round Angela and Jacks place for the night. He felt a shiver of anticipation run through his body. _A year. I can't believe it's been a year._

Nights alone with each other were few and far between these days. He picked up and plumped a cushion and dropped it back on the sofa. Then picked it up and rearranged it's angle and stood back. _I have absolutely no idea why I just did that_ he thought to himself, shaking his head and smiling. _Nerve_s? _You're being ridiculous Booth. She's your wife. Not a girl you're going to try to get to first base with for the first time. Shake it off man! Get a hold of yourself!_

* * *

"I'm back!" Brennan's voice called, cutting off his thoughts, as she opened the front door and came through it, her smile wide, her eyes sparkling. Her hair was just past chin length now, curling around the base of her jaw. Soft, shining auburn in the low light of the living room. She had bangs again. He remembered when she cut them the first time. _Now that was a long while ago, and not such a wonderful time either_ he thought to himself. He did remember thinking that she looked so pretty with them at the time, but never told her_. You were an idiot back then Booth. Just look at what you almost lost forever. Idiot._ _Don't ever be that stupid again. _

She walked towards him, smiling at him "Hello husband" she practically purred. Booth felt that shiver again. He felt his hands shake a little. She didn't even have to touch him and he was already feeling that pull in the pit of his belly. He held out his arms and she walked into them, readily wrapping her arms around his back, pulling him against her body, her lips connecting with the base of his throat. "someone's happy to see me!" she said, glancing down then looking up into his eyes, giggling.

Booth felt his face start to burn. _Jeez Booth, what are you? Twelve?_ "See what you do to me Bones? But" he said pushing himself away from her. "Not now. Come and sit down. I have dinner ready for us" he said proudly. "Ooh, special!" she said allowing him to guide her to the table and taking her seat as he held the chair for her.

"Now" Booth said, rubbing his hands together gleefully "I have a treat for you" he said as he dropped into the seat opposite her. He reached to the edge of the table and picked up a small silver bell and rang it, grinning widely at Brennan, who was frowing at him. "What?" she started to ask him when a small woman came through the door followed by a tall, thin young man. Both were dressed in black, the woman with a white apron on, carrying a tray with two steaming bowls, and the young man with a white cloth over his arm carrying a tray with a bottle of wine balanced on it.

"Madam. Please enjoy our Suruwa. Yellow and black lentils and spinach enriched with the flavours of cumin seed, garlic and bay leaves" she said as she placed a bowl in front of her. Brennan bent and inhaled the appetising aroma rising from the dish. "Booth! This smells amazing!" she said looking at him across the table. Booth grinned like a Cheshire cat as the woman placed a bowl in front of Booth. "I hope it's as good as it smells" he said. "Remember that Himalayan restaurant we used to drive past and always say we wanted to try?" Brennan nodded, remembering they never seemed to find time to go there. "Well I called, and told them that I wanted to arrange a special dinner, and they prepared all the food and delivered it here! And I hired Amita and her son Bijay to serve us tonight and clean up so we don't have to do a thing. It's a sort of, _we survived _celebration." he grinned and held up the glass that had just been filled with a light fruity wine. Brennan nodded her thanks as Bijay filled her glass, then held it up.

"To us. Over the last year we've traversed the wildest of waters, the harshest of deserts, and the depths of despair, and come out the other side stronger and more in love than we started. At least, that's how I feel Bones" Booth said, his voice cracking slightly. He cleared his throat and continued his toast "Bones, I've given you my heart, my whole self, willingly, happily. I want you to know you'll always come first, before everything and everyone else. I give you my faith, my trust, and my confidence. I made a promise to always be true, loyal, and honest. Bones, you're a part of my life, my dreams, my future, now and forever. I don't know what I would have done if I'd lost you. You're everything to me. I love you, with everything I am." he choked back a sob and dropped his head.

Brennan put down her glass and stood up. She came around the table and wrapped her arms around his shoulders, resting her head upon his. This man had given up everything for her. To care for their children and her. He worshipped her, she knew. "Booth. Thankyou. For everything. For being the man that taught me to love, to care, to be a mother and a wife. Oh Booth" He spun around and wrapped his arms around her waist burying his face in her stomach.

* * *

A soft cough interrupted them. Brennan stood up and turned around and smiled at Amita who was standing awkwardly in the doorway of the kitchen with a wooden bowl in her hand. "Sorry Amita, please come in" she said, walking back around the table and taking her seat. The woman approached, feeling as though she had interrupted a really important moment "I'm sorry, your bread" she said as she put the bowl on the table and retreated quickly. Booth looked over the table at Brennan and smiled "Poor woman, she probably feels completely awkward now". Brennan grinned and picked up her spoon "Let's eat while the soup is still warm" she said. "This really is wonderful Booth. I don't know how you did it. But I'm really glad you did." She lifted a spoon and took a sip "Delicious! Booth! This is amazing!"

Booth tasted the soup and his eyes lit up "You're right! It is amazing" They sat in silence for a few minutes eating their first course quickly. Brennan wiped her mouth with the napkin and watched Booth scraping at the bowl with his spoon. She smiled watching him trying to get every last skerrick of soup. "Booth, I'm pretty sure they would have more if you wanted it" she said laughing at him. He looked up at her "I know, but it's so good!" he lifted the bowl, as if he was going to lick it.

"Booth! Don't you dare!" she exclaimed. He put the bowl down and laughed loudly "got ya! The look on your face!"

"Very funny. But don't forget, I've seen you do that before" she said folding her hands primly in her lap.

Amita came to the table and cleared their plates. Their glasses were changed and replaced with large bulbous wine glasses. Bijay poured a dark red aromatic wine into their glasses then quickly disappeared back into the kitchen, then reappeared behind Amita carrying two plates of steaming food. They placed the plates in front of Booth and Brennan. Booth felt himself start salivating. The dishes were filled with a variety of vegetarian and meat dishes.

Amita smiled "If you would allow me" and pointed to one dish, "here we have Buteko which is sweet, ripe eggplant, stir fried with onion, potato and capsicum, complimented with the flavours of garlic, ginger, fennel seed, cumin, ground mustard seeds and a hint of lemon juice and chilli." Brennan smiled at her as she pointed to the second dish. "And here is Phulaura. Traditional crispy patties prepared from black lentils, chickpea flour, spring onion, spinach & coriander blended in Nepalese herbs. And last we have Khasiko Maasu. Slow cooked tender pieces of lamb, with subtle hints of freshly ground garlic, ginger, cardamom, cinnamon and turmeric." She smiled at them both, bowed slightly, then retreated with her son to the kitchen.

Booth rubbed his hands together and licked his lips "Smells so good" he said as he spooned a hearty helping of lamb onto his plate. "It does smell fantastic!" Brennan said as she helped herself to the vegetarian patties and eggplant dish.

They ate in relative silence, enjoying their food. Booth picked up his glass and held it out to Brennan who clinked her glass against his. The smooth robust wine rounding out the flavours in their mouths, making Brennan close her eyes and sigh loudly. "You like?" Booth said. She opened her eyes and nodded, taking another mouthful of wine. "It's wonderful. And so romantic! I feel quite spoiled Booth" she said smiling at him. "Thankyou" she added. Booth grinned and took a bite of the garlic roti and rolled his eyes "Oh my god" he said with a mouthful "so good" as he chewed the flatbread. Booth loved food. Any food. But this meal was really something special. It had texture and aromas and flavours that just set his senses tingling. He mentally patted himself on the back for making such a great choice.

"You're praising yourself right now, aren't you?" Brennan asked, a large smile on her face. She knew Booth well. He got this look on his face when he was pleased with himself. Booth opened his eyes and felt himself blush a little. "Kinda" he said and swallowed. Brennan shook her head and took another bite of food. "I don't blame you" she said as she reached for a roti. "We so need to go to this restaurant" she added, as Booth continued to shovel food into his mouth and nod.

* * *

Dessert was a traditional, milk based sponge cake in rose syrup flavoured with green cardamom and served with a scoop of vanilla ice cream, which they both adored. By the time the table had been cleared and desert wine had been served, they were relaxed and full. Booth held out a hand to Brennan, and lead her into the centre of the living room. The coffee table and end tables had been moved, the rug rolled up and the timber floorboards were glowing in the soft light.

Booth picked up a remote from the couch and pointed it, pressing a button. Soft music filled the room. He turned and held out a hand "Dance with me Bones?" he asked. Brennan blushed. Only he could make her feel this way, his eyes were dark, velvety, drawing her in. She lifted an arm and let her hand drop lightly into his. He curled his fingers around it, and pulled her towards him, wrapping his other arm around her, his hand settling in the small of her back, holding her close to him. He smiled that slow, sexy smile that made her belly clench and her skin tingle.

"If I didn't know better, I'd say you were trying to seduce me Booth?" she whispered, her voice failing. Booth raised an eyebrow and smirked crookedly "Is it working?" he growled. Brennan closed her eyes and swallowed "yes" her voice almost non-existent. Booth pulled her close to him and began to sway, keeping it simple, moving from side to side in time with the music, turning in a slow lazy circle.

Brennan relaxed and lay her cheek against his chest, letting the music wash over her. It was slow, lazy, lush. It made her smile and remember moments from their past. Booth closed his eyes and rested his chin on her hair. Her hand, small and delicate within his grasp. Her skin smooth and soft. He smiled, letting his hand work a slow circle on the small of her back.

* * *

He heard the back door close. Amita and Bijay had been given instructions to simply leave when they had filled the dishwasher and put the left over food in the refrigerator. He smiled wider, stepping back and swinging Brennan in a circle, the pulling her back close and dipping her gently over his left arm. Her head dropped back, then he pulled her up towards him, dropping his mouth over hers, his tongue slipping through her lips gently, teasing her own. Her mouth opened, her eyes closed, her arm slipping up over his shoulder and wrapping around his neck, her fingers creeping up through the hair on the back of his head.

Booth stood her up straight and pulled back from their kiss. His eyes were hooded and looked almost black. Her lips were red, flushed from their kiss. "Bones" he said huskily. She managed to take a deep breath and felt herself shiver. "Are you cold?" he asked. She shook her head "No. Aroused" she replied, looking down as she began unbuttoning her shirt. Booth's breath quickened, "here?" he asked, not expecting this. He had planned dancing, more wine, then retiring to their bedroom to make love, maybe a shower. But clearly, Brennan had other ideas.

"Here" she replied, smiling seductively. Booth swallowed. That smile was all he needed. He began untucking his shirt "No. You sit down" she ordered him, her hand covering his. Booth's eyes widened. She gave him a push in the middle of his chest and he landed heavily on the sofa. "turn up the music a little" she said. Booth picked up the remote and pressed the volume button several times until the music filled the room.

* * *

Brennan closed her eyes and tried to remember what to do. She had seen strippers before. And exotic dancers perform. She didn't want to be sleazy. She wanted to tease him. Entice him. Turn him on to the point of driving him crazy. Almost. She let the rhythm fill her, take hold of her. She started to sway, her hips rolling from side to side in time with the music. Her hands slid through her hair, and down the sides of her head and neck, crossing over her chest, her hands caressing her breasts through her shirt. Booth's eyes were riveted to her, his mouth hanging open slightly. He licked his lips. His mouth was getting dry, but he didn't want to get up to get his drink. He didn't want to move an inch.

She continued to move with the music, her fingers slowly unbuttoning her shirt letting it hang open. She turned in a circle and ran her hands down the back of her skirt. Her fingers started bunching it up, pulling it up, inch by inch until it was so high it almost revealed her panties, but not quite, she let it drop. Booth felt himself shudder. _Is it getting warm in here?_ he thought, still watching his wife moving in a slow circle, her hands slowly traversing every inch of herself. He shuffled in his seat. His pants were getting tight.

Brennan slowly let her shirt drop off her shoulders and down her arms, tossing it aside. Her hands slipped up her stomach and across the front of her lacy brassiere. She felt her nipples peak under her fingers. She reached back and unzipped her skirt and she slowly slid it over her hips and let it drop to the floor. She tried to kick it towards Booth, but her shoe got caught in the waistband and it wouldn't come off her shoe. She felt herself blushing, but tried to keep her sexy show going and bent down and pulled it off her shoe and threw it towards Booth.

He caught the skirt and held it up to his face so that she wouldn't see him grinning. He didn't want to embarrass her or, for that matter stop the show she was putting on. He was enjoying it way too much. Brennan caught his eye and tried to pout, but felt awkward and ended up looking away as she turned her back on him. He watched her undo her bra and toss it to the side , her hands splaying across her behind, her thumbs hooking into the top of her underpants and pulling them down slightly. Booth gasped, his hands rubbing at his thighs. He wanted to jump up and grab her, but she wasn't done.

Brennan turned around, her hands holding her breasts. She smiled slowly at Booth, and let her hands slide down her stomach. She slipped her fingers into her panties and started to slide them down her thighs. Once they got to her knees, she let go and they dropped to the floor. She stepped out of them and bent down, her hands resting on her shins. Booth leaned forwards, in anticipation. Her hair was flipped forwards, her curls bouncing slightly. He could see her breasts hanging, her nipples peaked and hard. He tried to swallow, but couldn't.

She began to slowly slide her hands up her legs, past her thighs, past her pubic hair, up her stomach across her breasts and up into her hair, pulling it up into a bunch on the top of her head before letting it drop back down, her hands linked above her head. She stared at Booth, wondering why he was just sitting there. She blinked, then walked towards him, wearing nothing but her heels. She reached out, Booth took her hands and stood up. She circled around him, her hands dragging across his chest. She stood behind him and reaching around his body started unbuttoning his shirt.

Booth could feel her breasts pressing into his back through his shirt. He groaned and leaned back slightly, so he could feel her pressed against him harder. She pulled his shirt from his trousers and dragged it off his shoulders, dropping it to the floor. Still standing behind him, she undid his belt and pulled it from the loops in his pants and dropped it. Then undid his fly and slowly. So slowly it almost killed him. Slid his pants down. Her hands slipped back up his thighs and slipped across his erection.

He couldn't take it any more. Booth spun around and grabbed her, his hands exploring her body. He was stepping up and down, trying to get his feet out of his pants, but his shoes were stopping him pulling his feet through the legs.

"Wait" he gasped and bent down, pulling off his shoes, and stepping out of his trousers, kicking them aside. He pushed his underpants down and kicked them aside as well pulling her to him, pressing against her. "Bones" his voice, hoarse with desire. "That was" His mouth crashed into hers, his tongue sliding across hers, slipping between her teeth, over her lips. He dragged his mouth across her cheek to her ear, his tongue dipping into its shell like form "amazing" he growled into her ear.

Brennan moaned loudly "Booth". He rumbled, deep in his throat and slipped his tongue down her neck to her breast. His teeth gently nipping at her nipple before flicking it with the tip of his tongue. Her fingers curling, digging into his shoulders. She felt a warm tingling between her legs. She wanted him in her, plunging deep into her depths. She wanted to taste his skin, feel him pressing against her. "Booth" she said again. He was on his knees now, his face pressing into her pubic hair, one hand sliding up the inside of her thigh and gently forcing her legs apart.

Her hands were threaded through his hair, wanting to pull him closer and push him away at the same time. She was wet, hot, ready for him. His fingers had made sure of that. He moaned into her, lapping at her, making her shiver. Suddenly, he was on his feet, lifting her, his hands grasping her buttocks. Her legs wrapped around him as he carried her to the sofa and they fell onto it, her legs still circling him. He slipped into her without any effort on his part. It was like his body was on auto pilot, knowing exactly where to go. He groaned as he felt her body gripping him, pulling him deeper into her, pulsing around him. He rolled his eyes and gasped. "Bones, you're driving me insane", his mouth finding hers again. Their lips pressing against each other's, hungry for the taste of each other.

Brennan moaned as she took him deeper into her, each thrust sending her rushing towards the precipice that she longed to fall over. She began to buck, not consciously. Her body just took over driving them both towards the peak. Booth's chest was heaving, he pushed up, holding himself away from her, his hips still grinding into her. "Watch me" he whispered. She dragged her eyes away from his and watched his cock driving in and out of her. It was mesmerising, but distracting at the same time. She let her head drop back and arched up into him. "Now Booth! NOW!" she literally screamed at him. Booth sucked in a deep breath and heaved deeply between her thighs, grinding himself into her to the hilt. He felt her shuddering, pulsing and it pushed him over the edge. He joined her, yelling out as he came deep inside her "Temperance! Oh Bones! God!" his voice raspy.

He collapsed onto her, unable to hold his weight any more. His hands were tingling with pins and needles and he had cramp in his right thigh, but he didn't want to move. She was warm and wet and soft and smelt like summer, or maybe it was winter, he couldn't tell any more. She made a small kitten noise and wriggled under him, making him slide from her, unwillingly. He felt her lips on his neck, her hands sliding slowly up and down his back, her fingers tracing an lacy pattern on his skin. He tried to open his eyes, but couldn't. Every nerve ending felt like electricity was running through them. He finally opened his eyes and stared into hers. Blue. But not the bright blue they usually were. They were dark, deep. They were so deep he felt like he could fall into them.

* * *

"I love you Booth" she whispered, her lips barely moving. He saw her tongue flick behind her teeth as she spoke. Her lips were dark pink, swollen and flushed from his kisses. Her skin was shiny with perspiration. She was smiling now. He smiled back. "Oh Bones" was all he could manage. He tried to adjust his position. Their skin was stuck together with heat and sweat. He finally managed to push himself up, peeling himself off of her. "sorry" he said as they separated.

She shook her head "This has been. Wonderful. Amazing. Perfect" she said still smiling at him, her eyes starting to lighten and sparkle. "although I am a bit uncomfortable now" she admitted, screwing up her nose "sorry" she added. Booth quickly rolled to one side, misjudging the amount of room he had and fell, unceremoniously onto the floor, landing on his bottom. Brennan half sat up and reached out for him "Oh! Booth! Are you OK?" she asked before bursting out laughing. She covered her mouth, trying to stop, but couldn't "I'm sorry!" she giggled. "You just looked so funny when you fell! You're legs were all up in the air and your" she burst out laughing again pointing at his flaccid member now stuck to his belly.

Booth looked down and quickly readjusted himself and sat up, feeling a bit embarrassed "Well, I couldn't help. That" he said, wanting to cover himself now. Brennan pulled her hand away from her face, but still smiled "I'm sorry. I wasn't laughing at you. Just the way" and she burst out laughing again. Booth stared at her for a moment, her breasts were jiggling, as was her belly, her face was shining, her mouth smiling widely as she laughed. He felt himself start to smile, then he was laughing too, imagining how it must have looked with his old fella stuck to his stomach.

Booth stood up and held out his hand. "I think we should take this to the bathroom and then, perhaps, we can move it to the bedroom for a follow up show?" he said cheekily. Brennan's eyes popped open "Really? Again?" she said as stood up, holding onto his hand.

"You're up to it?" she asked. Booth grabbed her and pulled her against his body.

"Oh I'll be up to it alright" he growled grinding against her, and proving that he would be.

"Oh Booth!" she exclaimed, her eyes sparkling. "Do you think we could just go straight to the bedroom?"

"Oh hell yeah!" he responded, as he started to run towards the stairs, pulling her with him as she laughed loudly.


	13. Chapter 13

Wyatt and Max sat in their highchairs, wearing matching overalls and sweaters, and waving two blue plastic spoons around. One with Mickey Mouse and one with Donald Duck on the handles. Parker had brought them back from Disneyland for them for their first birthday.

The party was actually being held six weeks after their birthday. Parker hadn't quite finished his semester at college at the time of their birthday, and Booth and Brennan had agreed that they really wanted their entire family together for this celebration, and that meant waiting for big brother Parker.

Parker had picked up Pops and brought him to their house for the afternoon's festivities. Max had come for the weekend and Angela and Jack were there with their children, along with other friends and work colleagues. Angela was looking wonderful. Her pregnancy was progressing nicely and she and Jack were thrilled to finally be new parents again after several years of failed attempts to fall pregnant and a couple of miscarriages. Her baby was due in about two months and she was absolutely glowing. Despite her swollen ankles and hands, and a bladder that made her pee every thirty five minutes, and an uncontrollable craving for peanut butter on Oreos with onion jam. The latter actually turning Jack's stomach every time she asked him for a plate of it.

Pops was sitting next to the twins, laughing at their high pitched baby chatter which he translated into a story about a banana loving gorilla who lived in a mobile home and played poker with his neighbour who was a polar bear. Christine was in hysterics laughing so loud that Booth had to tell Pops off for getting her so wound up that she knocked over her glass of lemonade and soaked the front of her new party dress, making her then burst into tears, which of course made the twins cry too.

* * *

Brennan shook her head and took her upstairs to clean her up. She bent down to buckle Christine's new sandals when she felt a wave of nausea wash over her.

"Oh. Oh dear" she stood up and stumbled slightly.

"What's wrong Mommy?" Christine asked, worry in her voice.

Brennan smiled and sat on the bed "Nothing baby. I just bent down and then stood up too quick. It made my head go a bit whizzy. I feel much better now baby" she reassured her daughter who grinned and skipped out of the room to go and show everyone her _other_ new dress.

They had gone shopping recently and couldn't decide between the two, and Booth, of course insisted on buying her both, because, as he said, "_a pretty girl should have as many pretty dresses as she wants"_, which of course Christine took literally.

Brennan had tried to explain to both Booth that just because Christine wanted both, didn't mean she needed both. Booth had snorted and told her that that was a ridiculous statement because she had only just last week, bought two ancient Indonesian maiden statues for the garden, because as she had put it, "_They're both so beautiful, and the subtle differences in the positioning of the maiden's hands just make it impossible for me to decide". _ Brennan had clamped her mouth closed and followed Booth to the checkout and stood glaring at him as he paid for the two dresses and asked the assistant to throw in four pairs of socks with frilly lacy tops on them because they were pretty and the subtle differences in the lace made it impossible for him to choose just one.

Brennan wiped the perspiration from her brow and took a few deep breaths. The nausea eased and she stood up gingerly. Feeling no other effects, she walked to the bathroom and looked at herself in the mirror. _What's wrong with you?_ Her face blanched for a moment _Oh, I hope it's not connected to my brain injury? What if, No. You're overreacting Temperance. Stop it. Right now._ She leaned in and glared at herself "You're perfectly fine and you just got dizzy from bending down and then standing up too quickly" she said out loud.

She stepped away from the mirror and felt a wave of nausea hit her again. She turned and vomited in the toilet. She pulled a towel from the rail and wiped her face. "Great. Just what I need in the middle of a party" She sat down on the toilet, reaching behind her and flushing it, wiping her face. She leaned her elbows on her knees and rested her face in the towel. _Just relax and breathe. Booth told you to slow down and not overdo it, but of course, you had to make it the best first birthday party ever. _ She reached over and pulled out the top drawer looking for some paracetamol for her headache. Finding none in the top drawer she checked the next two.

She rummaged around in the bottom drawer, pulling out a blue box. She rattled it and stared at it, then put it back in the drawer. Not finding any pain killers she stood up gingerly and stood for a moment. She felt fine. Perhaps all I needed was to be sick? she thought. She opened up the mirrored cabinet and found what she was looking for. She popped two white capsules from their plastic bubbles and popped them into her mouth. Leaning over the sink, she cupped her hand under the cool water and washed them down. Staring at herself in the mirror, she cleaned up under her eyes with the corner of the towel and shook her head. _Drama Queen_ she grinned at herself. She decided she needed to use the toilet so sat back down and stared at the floor thoughtfully.

* * *

Booth looked up as she came back into the room "Where'd you get to?" he asked, his forehead creased with worry. He stood up and approached her "Are you alright? You look a little pale" he said quietly so nobody else could hear. She shook her head "I'm fine. I was doing up Christine's sandals and stood up too fast and got a bit light headed." she said.

Booth gave her his interrogation look "But you were gone for ages" he said.

Brennan rolled her eyes "I was gone for fifteen minutes tops including the time it took to dress Christine and use the lavatory. I am fine Booth. Really." she nodded at him, her hand resting on his arm. He leaned in and stared into her eyes, then kissed her cheek and smiled "Good. OK!" he declared loudly, turning and rubbing his hands together. "Cake time!"

* * *

Brennan followed Booth into the kitchen and grabbed the stack of dessert plates and a handful of spoons and walked back into the room where their family and friends were waiting. Booth followed carrying a large wooden board, covered in blue paper. On it were two pale blue iced cakes. One was a capital M and the other a capital W. On the edges of each cake were evenly spaced, perfectly formed spheres of white chocolate and the words Happy Birthday To Max and Wyatt was piped on the board in bright yellow icing, with a giant number one candle, a tiny flame flickering at it's top.

"Make room!" Grumpy Hank yelled, shooing people out of Booth's pathway. "Do you want him to drop it? Move!" he added, living up to his name. Parker stepped towards Booth "Need a hand?" he asked noting his father's red face. The cake and the board was slightly heavier than Booth had realised and he was starting to puff as he carried it through the room to the table in the centre that was waiting for him. Booth gritted his teeth, "Nope" and took the last couple of steps and put the cake down on the table. He stood up and wiped his brow with his sleeve. "That was just a bit heavier than I thought it would be" he acknowledged to Parker, clapping him on the shoulder.

"Right everyone?" he called everyone's attention as he picked Max up out of his highchair. Brennan gathered up Wyatt and they stood side by side behind the table with their sons, facing the group that had come to celebrate their son's first birthday.

Booth cleared his throat. "OK first of all, thankyou for coming. We know it's a bit late, but things have been busy and we wanted to make sure that as many of our family was here for this day as could be" he said gesturing towards Hank, Max and Parker.

"Grandy Marianne couldn't come because she is getting her face flattened" Christine announced loudly making Booth cringe. He rolled his eyes. Everyone laughed. It was common knowledge that Booth's mother was extremely vain and spent a lot of time having facelifts, botox, and a variety of nips and tucks in an effort to appear younger than she actually was. "Thankyou Christine for that news update on your grandmother" he said, then looked up and smiled and shrugged. "Well, its the truth, we all know what my mother is like and we'll leave it at that."

Brennan was jigging Wyatt up and down as he was getting restless and kept leaning down to try to grab the candle's flickering flame. She smiled and looked around the room, "We appreciate everyone making the effort to be here with us for this day. Of course in some ancient cultures, birthday celebrations began as a form of protection. It was a common belief that evil spirits were more dangerous to a person when he or she experienced a change in their daily life, such as turning a year older. To protect them from harm, friends and family would gather around the birthday person and bring good cheers, thoughts and wishes. Giving gifts brought even more good cheer to ward off the evil spirits. Noisemakers are thought to be used at parties as a way of scaring away the evil spirits, although personally I find them irritating, which is why we don't have any here. The birthday history custom of lighting candles originated with people believing that the gods lived in the sky and by lighting candles and torches they were sending a signal or prayer to the gods so they could be answered. When you blow out the candles and make a wish this is another way of sending a signal and a message. So I think we are going to do that now, right Booth?" she finished off looking at Booth who had a sort of stunned expression on his face.

"Uh. Yeah, sure. Thank you for that history of birthdays Bones." he said, looking around the room at the slightly confused faces of their guests. "We better blow out the candle before it becomes a puddle." he said holding Max lower to the cake, but not so close that he could grab it. "Ready?" he said to Wyatt who Brennan was holding close to Max. "One, Two, Three! Happy Birthday!" he said and then both he and Brennan blew out the flame on the candle together.

* * *

The room was filled with the tune of Happy Birthday being sung to two special little boys, who stared at first at the group of people singing then down at the cake, then back at the people. Wyatt started clapping his chubby hands together and _singing_ along, while Max burst into tears, not quite sure about the noise. "Oh Max" Booth cuddled his son into his shoulder and grinned while joining in with the song "Happy Birthday dear Wyatt and Maxie" he sang Max's name into his cheek, kissing his face.

Max turned his head and smiled his toothy grin at his father and grabbed his nose as Booth finished the song nasally.

Hip Hip Hooray! There was cheering and clapping and laughing as Max tried to remove Booth's nose completely from his face. "Hey buddy!" he said as he uncurled his sons fingers from his face. "Quite a grip you got there!" he said as he kissed his sons fingers and grinned at everyone.

"Eat up people. I'm not putting this away tonight!" he announced. Brennan frowned "Booth! We can't waste it!" she said. Booth shrugged, "Honey have you seen the refrigerator? It's not gonna fit. So it either gets eaten right now, we give everyone some to take home, or it's getting thrown out tonight" Booth replied. Brennan chewed on her bottom lip and disappeared, coming back from the kitchen with some paper plates and a roll of clingwrap. "Everyone, please don't forget to take some cake home with you" she announced as she started cutting portions and wrapping them and placing them on the table.

* * *

It was around ten o'clock when Booth bent down and kissed the tousled heads of Max and then Wyatt, whispering "Happy Birthday little men. Daddy loves you so much. Goodnight" then tiptoed out of the room. Not that the boys would have woken up. They were exhausted from all the fun of the day. After the cake, Brennan and he had sat them down in the middle of the room and everyone gathered around as they handed the boys their gifts to let them open them themselves. An hour and a half later, the boys were surrounded by so many toys and new clothes that Brennan actually felt embarrassed by the generosity of all their family and friends.

Booth was excited by all the boy toys. He loved the big chunky baby remote trucks that they had got from Angela and Jack and couldn't wait to fire them up tomorrow. Brennan loved all the new clothes that they had received. They had grown so much recently she had made a list of things they needed, but was going to be able to cross most of them off of it. What she didn't know was Booth had been getting calls about what to buy them and he had simply read the list to them. But she didn't need to know that, he had decided.

He closed the door to the nursery, popped his head into Christine's room. She was asleep, one arm above her head and the other hanging out the side of her bed. He tiptoed in and gently lifted her arm and placed it across her chest. "Night Princess" he whispered, dropping a gentle kiss onto her forehead. She snuffled slightly and he stood up and backed away from the bed. She settled and he smiled. He could see why people said she was the image of him, but he always thought that when she was sleeping, she looked like her mother, gentle and sweet. He closed his eyes and crossed himself "Thank you Lord for giving me everything I ever wanted" he whispered.

* * *

He opened the bedroom door and stepped in, flicking off the main light. Brennan was already in bed, lying with the pile of birthday cards on her lap reading them in the light of the bedside lamps. She looked up and smiled at him "These really are lovely. People wrote the nicest things to the boys. I think I am going to preserve these in a sort of large book" Booth smiled as he stepped out of his jeans and pulled his T-shirt over his head and climbed into the bed next to her. "Scrapbook" he said as he plumped his pillow up behind his back and picked up a card to read.

"Oh. This is from Mom" he said, pressing his lips together. It was no secret that although Booth and his mother had reconciled about five years ago, they were not exactly close. She was self serving and selfish and vain and the fact that she had not made the effort to come to her only grandson's first birthday party, rather, choosing to go to some quack in Florida to have another bout of Botox or something, was hurtful to him.

Get this, "Wishing the best two grandsons in the world a wonderful first birthday. Wish I could be there to celebrate with you, and missing you bunches. All my love, Grandy Marianne." he read the card with an overpronounced voice, mimicking his mother. "The best two grandsons. What does that make Parker? Chopped liver? Come on!" he said screwing the card up in his hand. "Booth" Brennan said softly. She knew how much Marianne hurt Booth with her selfish actions, but at least she had thought of them and sent a gift.

"It just bugs me you know? She's all _Oh I'm the best grandy in the world!_ Grandy" he huffed "Just because she thinks she is too young to be called Grandma, and thinks this Grandy crap sounds all posh or something. She makes my blood boil Bones. I know she's my Mom and I know I'm supposed to love her, but." he hesitated and threw the crumpled card across the room and looked at Brennan, shaking his head "sometimes I just don't know that I do. I more. Tolerate her." he said, looking down at his hands, fingers interlaced, resting on the quilt.

Brennan pressed her lips together thoughtfully. He was upset, she knew that. She sighed "Sometimes Booth, we just have to accept the people in our lives for who they are, and be grateful that they are there." she said. Booth turned his head and stared at her "That sounds like something I would say" he smiled. "It is. You told me that a long time ago when Dad first came back into my life. I think you're right. She's not perfect. We all know that, but she is your mother. And you cannot change that. I wish mine was still here." she trailed off.

Booth felt a tug in his chest. He reached over and wrapped his arm around her shoulders pulling her to him as they looked at another few cards together. Suddenly she pulled away and reached into the bedside cabinet drawer and then leaned back into him, snuggling close to him. She sighed and then handed him something.

Booth stared at the item in his hand. He wasn't quite sure at first what he was looking at. She was curled into his body, breathing softly, her hair tickling his cheek. Suddenly, he realised what she had handed him. He held it up in front of them and said "You're kidding! This is real?" he said excitedly. Brennan took a deep breath and nodded.

"Apparently our romantic night together was more than successful." she said wrapping an arm around his chest. "Are you OK?" she asked. Booth had slumped back into his pillow and was sitting silently. He jumped forwards and rolled towards her grabbing her and kissing her hard over and over, her mouth, her cheeks her eyes. "Bones I'm more than alright. Shocked. Stunned. Sure. A little bit scared. Of course. But boy am I alright!" he practically yelled.

"Shhh, you'll wake the twins!" she shushed him, placing a hand over his mouth. Her eyes were sparkling, her smile was wide. Booth let her go and he threw himself back into his pillow again, sitting staring at the two pink lines.

"We're gonna have another baby Bones! When did you find out?" he asked.

Brennan wriggled herself close to him and closed her eyes. "After I changed Christine's clothes, I was in the bathroom and I found the test. I really didn't think anything was happening, but I thought, I'll just do it and put it in the drawer" she said. "I couldn't believe it Booth" she said snuggling closer to him.

_And this time, nothing is going to go wrong. I know it. And I know that Booth will pray to his God and make sure that nothing bad will happen either._ _We're going to have a big, loud, happy, busy household_ her eyes flew open. _A big household. _

"Booth?" she said.

"hmmm?" he murmured, lost in his daydream about another baby in the house. She sat up straight suddenly, her hand over her mouth.

"What if we have another set of twins? We're gonna need a bigger house". she said.

* * *

A/N I think I'm going to leave this one here. Obviously it could go on and on, but I don't think it needs to. I hope you have enjoyed my little AU story. And wouldn't it be amazing if Booth & Brennan actually did have another child in the show. Fingers crossed for that!

Thanks for reading!


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